Ride sharing site launched

For Dick DeRyk, the Saskatchewan Transportation Company (STC) bus service is a convenience he is going to miss.
When DeRyk was receiving medical treatments in Regina, he took the bus to avoid having to drive home not knowing what kind of shape he would be in on the way back. When he traveled out of province by air, it was a better and cheaper option than leaving the car at the airport for significant periods of time.
For many other rural Saskatchewan residents, the bus service was even more critical.
“When on the bus, I saw lots of people that were really much more dependant on the bus to get to bigger cities for medical appointments,” DeRyk said. “Those people are going to be stuck.”
With the bus service scheduled to end as of the end of this month, DeRyk decided something had to be done.
The local businessman, who runs the local company Uncommon Sense Business Solutions, a marketing and public relations agency, quickly put up a website, www.saskrideshare.ca, to fill the gap.
“The only purpose of this website is to bring together drivers, and those who need a ride to an out-of-town destination,” the site states.
There is an easy-to-use form people can fill out to offer or request a ride and the listings are already starting to roll in, DeRyk said.
Over the weekend, after the inititiative received some television news coverage, the site received more than 800 unique visitors.
He said feedback has been mainly positive with people saying they think it’s a good idea.
“If it works, it works,” he said. “It’s worth a try.”
DeRyk also launched a GoFundMe campaign to try to recoup some costs.
“I don’t intend to get rich by it, but it would be nice to cover the costs,” he said.