The City of Yorkton is continuing to partner with the Ministry of Social Services to provide a Discounted Bus Pass Program in the city.
The Ministry was requesting the City agree to a Letter of Understanding to continue the program for the Dial A Bus System, something Yorkton Council approved with a unanimous vote at the regular meeting of Council June 27.
In order to qualify for the discounted pass, an applicant must be a client of one of the following five programs;
Saskatchewan Assistance Program
Transitional Employee Allowance
Provincial Training Allowance
Saskatchewan Employment Supplement
Saskatchewan Assured Income for Disability
Other Saskatchewan cities have the same Letter of Understanding in place with MSS. The City and MSS have had a Letter of Understanding in place since 2007.
The program guarantees the city a set level of funding.
"The City is guaranteed to receive a minimum of $18,000/year in funding. During 2010, 615 adult passes were sold at $15 each for a total of $9,225 and 29 student passes were sold at $5 each for a total of $145. Therefore, the total income of this program is $27,370. If the City did not have the program and had sold 610 passes at the regular pass rate, it would have had an income of $34,695.
However, selling this many passes at full price would have been unlikely. According to the proposed Letter of Understanding, the City agrees that it will sell the passes at a minimum of $18 below the established transit system rates," detailed a report circulated at the Council meeting.
