Provincial grant allows purchase of new transit buses in Whitecourt

The brand new transit buses officially hit the streets of Whitecourt on June 1. Town staff celebrated with an open house and inaugural bus ride in front of the town office inviting community members to come and see the inside, as well as watch the official ribbon cutting prior to taking a jaunt around the block.

Rachel Soderquist, Town Transit Co-ordinator, was all smiles as she greeted residents. “We are really excited to celebrate the arrival of our transit buses. We started transit in the fall of 2014 and we have been leasing buses and drivers from First Student which has provided excellent service for us. We decided that transit is a valuable service so we decided to go ahead and apply for a grant from the provincial government and we received money to purchase our own.”

There are now three new buses in the local fleet, two transit buses plus a new dial-a-bus that has been in service since last summer. The leased buses sat 22 passengers and were basically a school bus whereas the new ones are fully wheelchair-accessible transit buses. The heavy duty, 27.5 feet long buses can hold two wheelchairs, will easily fit strollers on board, have bike racks on the front, and support green initiatives.

Mayor Maryann Chichak was beaming with excitement as she held giant gold scissors for the ribbon cutting. “We are really excited and really fortunate to have received the Green Transit Incentives Program (GreenTRIP) funding that we did. That’s what made it possible so hats off to our partner which is our provincial government for providing towards this and our bus shelters, our public works facility to house the buses, and the list goes on. Without that partnership you wouldn’t see what you have here today. It’s a win-win for our community,” she said.

The GreenTRIP grant from the provincial government covered more than half of the cost for the buses. “The province paid for two thirds of the new buses and we paid for one third of them. It was a really great opportunity for us to move forward with transit,” said Chichak.

Though the process has been long, it was clear by the smiles on the faces of the town staff that it was well worth the effort put forward. “It has been a year in the making and some people have asked why so long, but that’s the normal process. It takes time to order a bus and have it built with your colours,” said Chichak. “We are just so excited to be providing buses that are meant for transit! They’re going to provide excellent service for the community.”

MLA Oneil Carlier was unable to attend but sent along his congratulations.  “Accessible, rider-friendly public transit will benefit us all in many ways. It will increase Albertans’ mobility throughout the province and ease congestion on our roads. Through these purchases, public transportation will be safer, more accessible, and more comfortable for the Town of Whitecourt.”

The Whitecourt Transit Advisory Committee will now transition into the Community Services Board as they move from the planning stage. “These buses are absolutely top of the line. They look like normal buses you would find in the city. They even have Wi-Fi! I encourage all our residents to give it a try. It’s a green initiative going forward and I think that’s important,” said Chichak.

To see bus schedules and find out more, visit whitecourt.ca/Services/Whitecourt-Transit.