The Weyburn Care-A-Van Society is offering use of their wheelchair-accessible minivan for rent at a reduced rate, in an effort to help fill some of the gap left by the closure of the STC bus service.
The van can load two wheelchairs, which most other shuttle services or couriers cannot accommodate, and a family member or friend with a valid driver’s licence can drive the van, said Myron Fletcher, president of the Care-A-Van Society.
The society also has a bus for multiple passengers in wheelchairs, and can be booked through Sun Country Health Region’s Home Care service. The mini-van can be booked through the Weyburn Special Care Home.
The bus does not generally go out of Weyburn, but the minivan can be driven anywhere in the province, and the society will pay for the fuel. The charges for out-of-town travel are $85 per day, plus 50 cents per kilometer after the first 100 km.
For in-town usage, the charge is $20 for the first hour, and $10 an hour after that, with 50 cents per km after 100 km.
“With STC, if you wanted a bus with a lift, you had to book ahead of time. The van will help, as we are the only service that offers wheelchair use rent,” said Fletcher, who estimates a round-trip to Regina would cost around $130 at this rate.
The society has begun a fundraising campaign to replace the bus, which is beginning to show its age. A new bus is estimated to cost around $95,000, and so far they have received a grant from the Legion Poppy Fund of $25,000. They have applied for government grant funding for a new bus, but have not yet heard if their grant will be approved.
The bus is going to be replaced partly due to some costly repairs that had to be made in the past year, including replacing the transmission and rear axle of the bus which were not budgeted for.
The member agencies in the Care-A-Van Society include the Young Fellows Club, the Rotary Club, Quota International of Weyburn, the Weyburn branch of the Royal Canadian Legion, the Knights of Columbus, Kinsmen Club and the Sun Country Health Region, along with the City of Weyburn, which helps the society get a small ridership grant from the provincial government. They are also a member agency of the Weyburn and District United Way.
