A City of Lacombe councillor wants to explore the expansion of bus service within the community.
Don Gullekson’s notice of motion, which will be discussed and voted on at council’s Nov. 12 meeting, asks city administration to research how a potential Lacombe bus service would work and what the costs would be.
He said a regional bus system did not serve local transportation needs. Connex, which provides rides to Lacombe seniors and others unable to access regular transportation, could be expanded to serve the entire public, said Gullekson.
“It would be for everyone, not just certain people,” he said.
Gullekson said the city could use similar municipalities as models, noting Leduc and Cochrane have both implemented systems that work for their communities.
“If we have the right system, hopefully, we will be flexible enough to adapt to what the needs of our community are,” he said.
Gullekson said a bus servive could not be started overnight. Stakeholders would need to be involved and external funding would be required.
“There has been talks of transportation funding coming from the federal government, so there may be grants out there,” he said.
“My feelings after my discussions with citizens is that is it something that is needed, and I would love to see it go forward. It can build as our community adapts and becomes used to this method of transportation,” he said.
todd.vaughan@lacombeexpress.com
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