In the wake of the Westlock Handibus getting a seven-month reprieve, one has to wonder what took so long for municipalities to facilitate a cost-sharing agreement.
Last week, town and county councillors agreed to a 50/50 split of the operating cost of the handibus from June 27, 2013 until Jan. 31, 2014.
However, the county is capping its one-time payment to the handibus at a maximum of $19,000 as the bus does not currently cater to residents within the county.
The idea behind continuing to fund the service until the end of January is so the Westlock and District Transportation Committee has more time to establish a framework for a public-private partnership to cater to residents across the town and county.
That potential partnership could mean the handibus will be available outside of regular business hours so for riders can attend social functions like weddings.
But, the question bears asking — what has been the hold-up in finding a solution? And why are seven more months required?
The handibus has been a hot discussion topic in the community for years, and the discussion has only heated up over the past six months after town council voted in December to end the service at the end of June.
Since that decision, there have been many meetings to discuss what to do. And town residents and bus users have attended many a council meeting to make their thoughts known.
Surely with the committee having had more than five months to get the ball rolling, another seven months is excessive.
It’s nice to see the two municipalities have come together and are giving the handibus service a chance to survive, even if in the end the wheels have to stop turning.
But why did this have to come down to the wire?
Why did we get to the point where the town had to act and start handing out pink slips? We’ve known this issue has been ongoing for months, so why couldn’t an agreement have been reached sooner?
We hope another delay won’t threaten the service again if the framework agreement doesn’t pan out.
