Innisfail’s new on-demand transit system will hit the road on Monday.
The town recently signed a one-year agreement with Pacific Western Transportation (PWT) to provide Innisfail and surrounding communities with bus service.
Another transit option was needed after the Royal Canadian Legion branch decided it could no longer run Innisfail’s PACE shuttle service, which the Legion had been operating since 2018. The town saw an opportunity to upgrade the service used mostly by seniors and those with mobility issues.
While the town owns the two PACE buses that will pick up passengers in Innisfail and the surrounding area, Red Deer-based Prairie Bus Lines (PBL) will operate and staff the new service.
Users can book a trip on the new on-demand system provided by PWT seven days a week by using the app or by phoning the dispatch centre.
“We’ll be able to increase our efficiency and the number of users that we’re able to service by going to an on-demand program — with the power of the app and a call centre, as opposed to the traditional dispatch system that was being utilized previously,” said Meghan Jenkins, the town’s director of community services in a statement.
PBL director of business development Jonathan Weal says the data collected by the high-tech transit brand is a game changer.
“The app has the ability to learn the more data it gathers, and the time it takes to get between different points,” said Weal. “It can anticipate delays on rides. It gathers a lot of data from the movement within the town to allow the service to be more efficient.”
The new service is available to residents of Innisfail, Penhold, and Bowden, providing almost 12,000 users with access to transportation.
One-way rides within Innisfail will cost $5, rides to Bowden and Penhold will cost $15 and trips to Red Deer, Olds and Sylvan Lake $50. One of the two buses will be reserved for trips to Edmonton and Calgary.
For more information go to www.innisfail.ca/transportation
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