Regina Transit challenge organizers hope to show city council what bus service is missing
CBC
For Andrew Reist, every day is a transit challenge.
He has no driver's licence, but is more than happy to show you his trusty R-Card, the tool he uses to hop on any Regina city bus if he needs to get groceries, visit friends, or get to and from work, as he does five days a week.
While the experience is not perfect, it does work for him — at least most of the time.
"While the service during the week is great, you know, maybe having it run a little bit later would be nice," he told CBC News on Tuesday. "Definitely looking at the weekend or Sunday service would be absolutely amazing,"
Despite a growing population, the city's transit service has failed to keep up with demand, according to the Regina Transit Master Plan.
It's more expensive, has a lower revenue per capita and has fewer employees than similar transit systems in Canada.
The Regina Citizens Public Transit Coalition says all of those reasons played into the decision to issue a challenge to the city's elected officials to rely on Regina Transit for all transportation for 48 hours. The coalition says this will give councillors an idea of what using the system is actually like for those who rely on it.
Terri Sleeva, a member of the coalition, said people don't want to ride the bus because service in Regina is poor.
"That's no fault of Regina Transit. They are doing the best they can with the money [city council] give it," Sleeva said.
Sleeva said four councillors agreed to taking part in the challenge between March 6 and March 19. They'll submit feedback to a questionnaire and the coalition will then share those answers with the public.
Ward 1 Coun. Cheryl Stadnichuk had just finished her 48 hours on Regina Transit when she spoke with CBC last week.
Stadnichuk said it was the first first time in decades that she's had to rely on the Regina Transit system, and that her experience was good.
"I think some people think of [transit as being for] people who are poor, or who can't afford a car," she said.
"It's actually a good option to getting around the city if you want to. So we just have to make it as efficient as possible for people."
P.E.I.'s Public Schools Branch is looking for 50 substitute bus drivers, and it'll be recruiting at three job fairs on Saturday, June 8. The job fairs are located at the Atlantic Superstore in Montague, Royalty Crossing in Charlottetown, and the bus parking lot of Three Oaks Senior High in Summerside. All three run from 9 a.m. until noon. Dave Gillis, the director of transportation and risk management for the Public Schools Branch, said the number of substitute drivers they're hiring isn't unusual. "We are always looking for more. Our drivers tend to have an older demographic," he said.