The launch of a new bus route in parts of the region is good news for thousands of residents and for the community at large.
With the pending closure of Greyhound service in Western Canada, many communities are today facing the real possibility of having no public transportation available for individuals and businesses for the first time in many years.
Last week the province announced a new bus route in Red Deer County to connect Innisfail and Penhold with Red Deer. The route already included trips to and from Red Deer and Springbrook. The expanded route will give more than 11,000 residents access to health-care facilities and other services in the city.
For his part, Al Kemmere, the president of the Rural Municipalities of Alberta Association (RMA), calls the new route a good step forward.
“More now than ever, our communities need access to transit options to connect them with education, health care, jobs and families,” said Kemmere, a Mountain View County councillor.
“Members of the RMA and our neighbouring communities who are eligible for this program are happy to hear that the government of Alberta is putting dollars to these pilot programs that may work to find a solution to support our public transportation needs.”
Red Deer County mayor Jim Wood echoed Kemmere’s comments, saying public transportation will be vital to the region’s future success.
“Being able to travel efficiently and safely is essential for our residents’ quality of life and the overall well-being of our connected communities,” said Wood.
“Regional transit funding will create even greater links between our communities, and will go a long way toward improved mobility for our residents.”
The new route, and an expanded route in the Medicine Hat-Lethbridge area, is part of the province’s Rural Transportation Pilot Program.
Premier Rachel Notley says the program is designed to “improve public transportation services between Alberta’s mid-sized urban centres and their surrounding communities.”
Whether the new and expanded routes will be successful remains to be seen. Nevertheless, the province and its stakeholder partners should be applauded for working to address the public transportation crisis now facing rural Alberta.
- Singleton is the Mountain View Gazette editor
