By Kathy Gallant

Passenger service cancels Meadow Lake route

Oct 30, 2017 | 4:10 PM

Those in Meadow Lake looking for a ride out of the city now have one less option available after Rider Express recently cancelled its service to the community.

Less than two months after announcing their inaugural trip in late August, the Regina-based passenger company recently stopped offering their return Meadow Lake to Saskatoon trip, which was once available three times a week. After a lack of regular riders, the system went to reservation-only, with a minimum of four riders in September.

In an earlier interview with meadowlakeNOW, company manager Firat Uray cited a lack of regular riders as the main reason for the recent change. He said there was a great deal of initial demand, which is why the company chose to start the route in the first place. Uray was not immediately available for comment, but meadowlakeNOW will update the story once comment is received.

Rider Express was one of a few companies that commenced regular routes province-wide after the Saskatchewan Transportation Company (STC) officially shut its doors in May.

In an email from the Government of Saskatchewan Executive Council, Media Relations Officer Karen Hill said STC was wound down as it was not sustainable over the long term.

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“As stated at the time of the decision and reiterated in question period [on Thursday, Oct 25], each STC ticket was being subsidized $100,” she said. “Ridership steadily decreased by almost 77 per cent since 1980, by 35 per cent since 2012, [and] by nine per cent over the last year alone. The service had not been viable for 30 years. The province is not considering resuming public-funded passenger bus service.”

She said the current government is aware of private operators who have taken up routes throughout the province, with schedules based on demand.

While it does not include Meadow Lake or the Prairie North Health Region, Hill noted the province’s Northern Medical Transportation Program, which costs $4.1 million. She said it provides emergency transportation by either private air carriers, medical taxi, or road ambulance for all northern residents and non-emergency transportation for social assistance clients to attend medical treatments and appointments outside their community. 

“We know from this program that STC bus services were not the primary option of users,” she said. “Of over 5,000 trips provided through the Northern Medical Transportation program in 2016 and 2017, less than one per cent were by bus.”

Ryan Meili, a physician running for leadership of the Saskatchewan NDP was recently in Meadow Lake for the local AGM and meet-and-greet, and commented on the lack of transportation options in the region now that STC is gone.

“We should build a new STC with an emphasis on serving communities of higher need,” he said. “This would be done in consultation and with a full economic and social analysis of the transport needs and the economic return that comes from having a well-functioning system. We need to invest in this kind of infrastructure to save costs in health and improve the lives of Saskatchewan people.”
 

kathy.gallant@jpbg.ca  

On Twitter @ReporterKath