We're not quite there yet.
Humboldt isn't quite ready for an expensive, traditional transit system, the mayor indicated last week.
But he hopes that a new idea will be raised to solve the conundrum of how to get people without access to a vehicle around the city.
The Journal raised the question of whether Humboldt is ready for a transit system with Eaton last week, but it wasn't the first time Eaton has fielded that sort of question.
He sees the two groups who have spoken up about a transit system - those needing some form of transportation to access a grocery store once all are located on the west side of the city, and students needing to get from all parts of the city to the new Humboldt Collegiate Institute - as separate.
The fact that, once the Humboldt Co-op Food Store moves to the west side of the city, all of the grocery stores will be out there is "a concern that has been raised," Eaton said.
The City has done some investigating, and has found there are not a lot of resources available that would support a transit system like those found in Saskatoon or Regina, which are extremely expensive to operate.
For the City of Humboldt to start up a transit system, "the costs involved are huge," said Eaton. "We would have to do a lot of careful looking around feasibility."
While a traditional transit system might still be out of reach, the City is looking at what other options there might be, he said.
He listed possible options including the two local taxi services and the three grocery stores.
"There may be some opportunity to expand (the taxi) services," he said, "to offer some kind of complementary services."
Eaton has also talked to some other communities about the issue, and found that some grocery stores provide shopping and delivery services for customers.
"That's a model that used to exist in Saskatchewan," he said.
There also might be a business case for some to start a shuttle service in Humboldt, he said.
Another model that has been discussed is possibly a business opportunity downtown for another grocery, he said. Not a large store perhaps, but a neighborhood market store.
There are already some downtown businesses that sell food, he noted, besides the Co-op.
The options for addressing this issue are not limited to the development of a transit system, he believes
And the City, he added, is not averse to talking about it.
"We encourage this conversation in the community. We encourage people to look for solutions," he said.
The City does have a vehicle to transport people with special needs in the community, he said, and they are in the process of having to replace that vehicle.
Because of funding they receive for the Handi-Bus, its service is only provided to those who fit certain criteria, he said.
They will be looking, he said, at opportunities to expand that service, which is, at present, not a public service. It is provided to those who apply and are approved, and people pay to use it, he noted.
The other part of the transit issue - that of students being able to reach the new high school - is one Eaton would like to turn over to the local school divisions to solve.
"This idea has also been presented to us before," he said. "As the community grows, students have a distance to travel to get to school."
As Eaton sees it, there is already a school bus system in place in this area, with drivers and buses and routes, mechanics and other supports.
The infrastructure for a student transport system is in place, he said, within the school divisions.
"Our view as a City is if this is a necessity, we encourage students and parents to raise it with the school boards," he said.
Eaton indicated that it is his understanding that there are some school divisions in the province that provide transportation for students from one school to another.
He suggested that the answer to this problem might be allowing high school students to get on buses at the nearest elementary school to their home, once the younger students have disembarked. They would travel from the elementary schools to the high school in the morning, and from high school to elementary in the afternoons.
This would cut the distance some high school students have to walk by a huge amount.
The City could still play a part in this, Eaton indicated. If the school divisions are willing to look at providing this service to city students, they could discuss building bus stops in other parts of the city, such as local parks.
"The school divisions have a school transportation system," Eaton reiterated. "I encourage students and parents to communicate with the school divisions to see if there's any possibility of addressing the need that's been identified."
