City bus service set for changes

How city buses operate in Yorkton will soon change.

The long familiar Dial-a-Bus system is going to be abandoned in favour of a two-loop fixed route picking up and dropping off customers along the way.

The new route system will take an hour to complete with each half-hour loop starting at the Yorkton Co-op Grocery. There are 28 stop locations around the city.

John Denysek with Saskatchewan Abilities Council in Yorkton said one of the key changes is that riders will no longer need to head to the telephone first.

“They will no longer have to call in for a bus,” he said.

There will now be a printed schedule of when the bus will be at a stop and riders only need to be there on time to catch a ride.

“It will serve every stop once in an hour,” said Denysek.

Lisa Washington, Community Development Manager with the City said while not every stop will have a covered area, a number of new ones are planned, pending weather that will allow for concrete pads to be poured.

The new system is scheduled to start soon, pending the arrival of two new vans which will be used by the service, said Denysek.

“We’re waiting on the delivery of the new vans,” he said, adding they are expected before year-end.

The new vans are smaller and more cost-effective to use.

“They are cheaper to operate than the big buses we have,” said Denysek.

The new vans will seat 15.

“We looked at usage rates and they were never over that 15 limit,” said Denysek.

But smaller vehicles will mean less room for riders to carry baggage.

“Obviously the vans are smaller so we’ll have to enforce how much can be carried on the bus,” said Denysek. That limit is essentially two bags or “what can be placed on your lap or under the seat.”

Once the buses arrive there will be a 30-day trial period where the bus will operate free, before a new fee schedule kicks in.

An adult fare will be $3.50 (exact change required) or a monthly pass of $75. The student rate (under 18 years of age) will be $2.50 with a monthly pass at $37.50.

Also, during the month-long phase-in, the Dial-a-Bus number will remain operational so people can call in for help in understanding the new system or to check where stops are, said Denysek.

The new service will be reviewed by the City’s transit committee and if further changes are required, recommendations would be presented to Yorkton Council, said Denysek.