The uncertain future of Calgary HandiBus has been reinvigorated following a transit union vote paving the way for operations to continue under Calgary Transit’s Access Calgary division.
“There was an announcement late last year that HandiBus was going to cease operation for accessible transportation in Calgary,” said Doug Morgan, Calgary Transit director. “We worked carefully with both HandiBus and ATU (Amalgamated Transit Union) to come to an agreement where Calgary Transit could take on the employees and provide accessible service to Calgarians.”
On Tuesday, union members voted in favour of allowing HandiBus drivers and support staff to become employees of the City of Calgary.
According to Morgan, the transition of HandiBus operations to Calgary Transit is slated to occur this summer and there will be no service disruptions to the approximately 15,000 current Access Calgary customers.
“We’re hoping the average user sees no change other than maybe the bus might be a different colour and have a different brand on it,” said Morgan. “They’ll see that same smiling face they’ve always seen, that great service. We hope to see a seamless transition where it might be a different coloured swoop on the bus but that same great service.”
Calgary HandiBus will continue to operate as a registered charity utilizing the current HandiBus fleet. All additions to its vehicle fleet will be purchased through fundraising.
In an average year, HandiBus operates approximately 1.1 million accessible trips and the organization serves 15,000 registered customers.
“The benefit of coming to an agreement with the same staff is they’ve been around for the last 40 years providing excellent, accessible service for Calgarians,” said Morgan. “They spend a lot of time with customers. It’s important to us to that they have that relationship and that they provide that great service.”
“We’re pretty excited to provide the same level of service and be more equipped for future demands that are certain to come as Calgary ages.”
