In recognition of his service to the region, Rocky View Regional Handi Bus Society Executive Director Paul Siller received an Excellence Award from the Canadian Urban Transit Association (CUTA) at a ceremony in Niagara Falls on Nov. 19.
The CUTA recognizes individuals who have made a major contribution to improving transit, and Siller said he is proud to be included with the five other 2014 recipients – Bill Fisch, Lawrence Hong, Mayor Hazel McCallion, Mayor Sterling MacFadyen, and Preston MacDonald.
“I’m very touched by it, but I didn’t do any of this to get an award,” he said. “You put your head down and start tackling a problem, and then ten years later you’re looking up from a podium, getting an award for being exceptional in your field.”
The Rocky View Regional Handi Bus Society comprises a fleet of 17 buses located throughout the county, and operates largely through municipal funding and service fees. The society provides community transit for people with special transit needs.
“We set out to fill gaps and try to help people who needed a hand getting local community supports, and each gap we filled became a part of a bigger picture,” Siller said. “One day we realized, instead of offering a collection of services within the region, maybe we need to be a service of the region.”
Siller said the idea of that type of bus service had been discussed in the past, but the Rocky View Regional Handi Bus Society is one of the first to have accomplished offering a transit service to such an extensive area.
“It’s a bit of a surprise to me to see that we are a bit ahead of everybody else, solving problems as they are presented to us,” he said. “But I would not have gotten to where I am without questioning and taking the advice of a whole bunch of people from all across Canada.”
For Siller, one of the biggest challenges in his fourteen years with the society has been securing government support. Since he said there is really “no provincial support,” he relies on the municipalities who have begun to recognize the value of the society.
“In the last five years, I’ve really started to notice a change in the attitude of municipal councils,” he said. “It’s been building nicely. I don’t know if it’s the greying population who are more in need of the service or if it’s the rapid growth in the area, but it’s good to see support.”
While Siller is pleased to have received the recognition for the work he’s done so far, he said he still has a long way to go with the society.
“We are only half-way there, because we are really still operating on a shoestring budget,” he said. “I’m hoping that in five years, we have enough stable resources that we can do what is needed for this community at a sustainable cost to our stakeholders.”
CUTA could not be reached for comment as of press time.
