Since the Sundre Community Van launched its Thursday shuttle service in July of 2013, it has become quite popular.
Every Thursday there is a volunteer hostess on board from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and anyone in the community can be picked up and dropped off anywhere within town limits, at a cost of $2 for the day.
“They go everywhere – they go to Home Hardware, the banks, the grocery story, the thrift store, A&W – somebody wants to go there for lunch, somebody else wants to go to Tim Hortons,” said Karen Macleod, coordinator for the community van.
There is no limit to the number of stops each person can request.
The program was launched because the bus was too busy to run errands in town, and services were limited to medical trips only, she said.
Over the last year, the shuttle service saw 516 passengers and made 1,255 stops.
The bus averaged 50 kilometres per day at $1.50 per kilometre. For the full year the fuel cost just for the shuttle service was $3,900, and revenue generated from the passengers totalled $1,045.
The van is expensive to maintain, she said, but the board receives annual funding from the Town of Sundre and Mountain View County, as well as an annual $1,500 donation from Shell.
Volunteers run the shuttle service, and there hasn't been a struggle to find people to take on the job.
“All the volunteers are great, I can't say enough good things about them,” she said.
The service is for people of all ages and the van is equipped for wheelchairs and walkers.
The van is also available to take people to surrounding cities on days other than Thursdays, and it goes to the Mountain View Food Bank in Olds every Tuesday morning, free of charge. It seats 16 passengers and runs year-round.
“We offer private vehicles or the community van for those who need wheelchair accommodation. If they can go in a car, they go in a car,” she added. “Because we're a community without public transportation, they're taken to Red Deer, Calgary, Didsbury and other communities.”
The van is also used for different sporting events, including out-of-town events, she said.
“I've had people call in the community that are designated to go to Rocky (Mountain House) for their MRI or their CAT scan or their operation,” she said. “So we provide all those medical trips. We take people to Olds to get on the Greyhound, we take them to Calgary to fly on the airplanes. We do whatever we can to accommodate.”
The community van was introduced to the community in 1985 and she believes it is an important asset to Sundre. The board is currently looking for a treasurer, she added.
"All the volunteers are great, I can't say enough good things about them."Karen MacleodSundre Community Van
