Local community transit is expanding.
Amber Carrigan, the executive director of Strait Area Transit, says they’ve purchased a new $77,000 accessible bus.
She says it was paid for jointly; $55,000 from provincial officials, $10,000 from Inverness Co. officials, and the remainder from SAT reps.
Carrigan tells The Hawk the bus will run only in Inverness Co., but it frees up their other accessible van to expand service in Richmond Co. and Port Hawkesbury.
“That was a big part- with the vehicle being used in Inverness Co., I wasn’t able to move anybody in other areas that needed that vehicle,” she says. “We were limited- we only had so many vehicles, and the demand was higher than what we were able to provide.”
Carrigan says the greatest need for wheelchair accessible transit is in Inverness Co., so the van will be used for both their fixed route and dial-a-ride service, while the second is used only for dial-a-ride.
She says the new accessible van will also be key in supporting the COVID-19 vaccine rollout by bringing people to vaccination appointments.
“Demand for rural transit is even higher,” she says. “Having this addition to the fleet just opens it up that much more.”
Carrigan says they’ll be able to serve the entire region more fully.
