No doubt you will have already heard of Greyhound Canada’s decision earlier this month to cancel virtually all of its routes in western Canada effective Oct. 31.
The announcement doesn’t come as a great shock. The writing’s been on the wall for years; even before the NDP government was elected, the company was grousing over the money it was losing each year on rural routes.
This decision won’t affect our community except indirectly; after all, the company hasn’t run a bus out to Barrhead for years. But on the whole, the loss is significant for rural communities in western Canada.
It may not seem like a big deal if you have a car/truck or can hitch a ride with a friend or a family member, but if you don’t have transportation, even the relatively short distance between Edmonton and Barrhead might as well be a journey to the moon.
To that end, there has been some debate provincially and nationally about establishing a rural bus service funded by taxpayer dollars. The Alberta government has itself decided to extend a new rural bus pilot program, adding new routes in Red Deer County and between Medicine Hat and Lethbridge.
Naturally, this causes some trepidation among those who champion the free market as the be-all and end-all, or who simply don’t want to pay extra in taxes.
On July 25, the St. Albert Gazette published an article where their local MLA spoke about the importance of a rural bus service.
However, the article also contained comments from Barrhead-Morinville-Westlock MLA Glenn van Dijken, who said he doesn’t believe the province should be the one to provide a bus service until all other private options have been explored.
van Dijken further noted that some rural communities have found their own ways to address transportation gaps.
“At the end of the day, there will be adjustments. Rural communities have stepped up in a certain way to try and assist in community service to get to medical appointments.”
While it is true that some communities operate their own bus service to help the elder go into the city, what van Dijken fails to mention is that these services are extremely tenuous.
Westlock has operated its own bus service for seniors and the disabled for a number of years, but has nearly lost it numerous times.
Because these ARE losing propositions. Investigating private options to run a bus for seniors or the disabled is pointless; you will not make money on it, just as recreation and health care generally doesn’t pay for itself.
But this is one of those things we do for each other as a caring society. Yes, we individually may not need a bus going to the city, but others are in dire need of one. We need to recognize that transportation is a service, not a luxury.
