Rocky View Regional Handibus Society (RVRHS) continued to see increased demand for rides in 2018, according to a report on fourth-quarter trip activity released by the society.
“We work with six municipalities, and we were really surprised, thrilled and pleased that numbers are growing,” said Executive Director Paul Siller.
RVRHS – which provides transportation to medical appointments, school and work for residents of Rocky View County (RVC), Chestermere, Cochrane, Crossfield, Irricana and Beiseker – saw 18 per cent more trips in 2018 compared to the previous year, and registered 175 new riders, Siller said. He noted 2018 was the fourth year in a row to see similar growth.
Growth was particularly strong in Chestermere, where RVRHS provided 47 per cent more trips in 2018 compared to 2017. According to Siller, the municipality with the most growth changes year to year – in 2017, it was Crossfield, and the year before, it was Cochrane.
“Growth happens cyclically,” he said. “Communities age. In Chestermere, for example, part of this is when Chestermere was full of young families, [parents] brought mom or dad in to help mind the kids, five [or] six years ago. Now, grandma and grandpa are a little older, and needing a bit more medical appointments and so forth.”
With growth comes challenges, Siller said – specifically, RVRHS’s growth is outpacing its resources. The society’s funding model has its six partner municipalities equally contributing a per capita rate, to keep the buses on the roads. That fee has increased by 50 cents per year since 2014, but Siller said the additional charge is not matching the increase in ridership.
“We’re falling behind on having enough resources to actually do the job,” he said. “For 2020 and 2021, we need to go back to the municipalities and make a significant bump to the [fee] schedule.”
RVRHS is also contending with outdated scheduling technology and a dearth of drivers. Updating the scheduling system would help the organization be more efficient, Siller said, but funding that upgrade competes with the need to get additional drivers behind the wheel to meet increased demand.
Siller said RVRHS will make its case before the municipalities throughout the upcoming year, with meetings already scheduled with Chestermere and RVC.
“We’re not going to change our funding request for 2019, since that’s already been in the works for most of the municipalities for the last several months,” he said.
