The Drake’s Handi-Bus now has a second vehicle to help transport more people in the community.
Sam Hill, one of the drivers for Drake’s Handi-Bus, says the original bus only had room for seven passengers and one wheelchair. The new bus holds 24 passengers or 17 passengers and two wheelchairs.
Hill says that, for the most part, there was enough room for users in the original bus. The only time it was an issue was if there was a larger group of people. However, with only one bus, the organization was limited in how many trips it could make.
For example, if there were people who had appointments in Edmonton, the handi-bus couldn’t be offering services in Drayton Valley.
“What was happening, sometimes, I could hire out one of the little school buses or something, but they’re very expensive,” says Hill.
Given that Drake’s runs on a lean budget, renting other buses wasn’t exactly feasible for them.
Hill says without the support from the Town and local businesses, they wouldn’t be able to offer what they do.
“We’ve survived, basically,” says Hill.
They do charge for the service to help cover the costs of staff and vehicle maintenance. While they do make a little more money for trips to the city, for the most part, they aren’t making much in revenue. On most trips, they break even at best.
Hill says she advocated to the Town for a second vehicle with the idea that getting a bigger one would be better.
“Then you could accommodate the groups,” she says.
Hill says they shopped around and found a used bus that would accommodate their needs. With the second bus, they can offer more services. This includes offering the service to able-bodied individuals.
“We have opened it up,” says Hill. “The schools, if they have a small team or something that needs to travel, we can book that. Or a small class that needs to go to the pool, we can do that.”
She says the service is available for others provided a bus is available for use.
