Rocky View Bus (RVB) is moving past COVID-19 by surpassing pre-pandemic service and ridership levels.
The charitable organization provides rides across the county and beyond to people with disabilities, seniors, and anyone needing a life.
In 2024, they took 13,726 journeys with nearly 15,000 passengers, companions, and attendants.
These trips served essential needs, such as medical appointments and grocery runs, reflecting a 1.5 per cent increase over 2023 and a 12 per cent growth compared to 2019.
General manager, Paul Siller, said RVB is a rural charity that supports the need to be independent.
"We've rebounded after COVID, and now we are seeing completely different people than what we saw five years go," Siller said. "People experiencing tough times staying with a friend or low income earners living in the middle of nowhere."
For the first half of its existence, RVB served as a resource centre for kids with disabilities, eventually offering Handi Bus services while evolving into what it is today.
"We always been reactive, focusing on the needs of the community, which means we are focusing on completely different things now than we were 10 years ago," Siller said.
Siller explained that RVB has 12 drivers on staff and four people working in the office. That includes the hiring and training of five new drivers, enabling the agency to operate with a full team.
"This bolsters our ability to meet rising demand and opens the door to improving services to better address evolving community needs," Siller explained.
As of now, RVB offers what Siller called "bare bones" service, meaning people are unable to schedule a ride on evenings, weekends, or holidays.
That number still struggles to keep up with the demand, which Siller said he expects to increase.
"We're seeing more retired people in communities like Chestermere and Springbank. There are senior facilities being planned," he said. "People don't tend to think of us if they don't need us. But there are a lot of older folks who don't drive, who don't use smart phones, and still need to see their doctor."
What's made the situation more difficult for residents using the service is that things have changed in terms of what the Province of Alberta will cover, including eligibility under Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped (AISH).
"The province is creating a squeeze, which is making things more costly for people on a fixed income," Siller said.
2024 saw an increase in requests for fare subsidies, driven by frequent trips to life-sustaining treatments in Calgary. Over a dozen RVB passengers must travel two to three times weekly. Passengers do not qualify for the Alberta provincial transit fare subsidies available in cities like Edmonton and Calgary.
"Rocky View Bus will have to absorb over $12,000 of fare subsidy requests," Siller said. "To support these passengers and their families, we must launch additional fundraising initiatives this summer."
RVB is a registered charity who does receive funding from several towns and councils such as Rocky View County.
Until their planned donation drive, Siller said people can support RVB through donations by visiting rockyviewbus.ca.
2025 actually marks RVC's 45th anniversary in the community.
"We are excited to honour this milestone with modest celebrations and a strategic review of our goals for the future," Siller said.
