Every Friday for the last 20 years, seniors have been picked up from their homes and driven downtown to shop, run errands and visit the doctor. It’s a service that was identified as a need in 1994 and has run ever since.
But, in 2010, the Jasper Seniors Society lost its provincial funding for the seniors bus and ever since it’s been struggling to keep the service afloat, scrounging for grants where it can and using up its reserves to cover the remaining costs.
After years of this, the society is now in a predicament: either it has to cut the service in the next couple years, after it’s spent all the money it has, or it needs the community to step up and lend a hand.
“We can’t keep going down this road,” explained Bob Worsfold, the society’s treasurer, during an interview Nov. 20. “I guess this is a plea to the community at large, if they see this as a necessary part of the community, hopefully someone’s going to step up to the plate or take over operation of the bus.”
Each year the bus sees about 500 users, whether it’s just for a trip to town or it’s a trip to Hinton for a medical appointment, and it’s also used by the Alpine Summit Seniors Lodge for group outings, like picnics and afternoon tea at Marmot Basin.
To catch a ride, seniors pay a small user fee of $5 for a trip to town and $15 for the once per month bus to Hinton. Those fees are likely to increase at the society’s meeting next month, but even if they’re doubled, it won’t cover the cost of operating the bus.
Worsfold said it costs about $18,000 a year to provide the service.
But, between the user fees and donations the society collects, the service only brings in about $7,000 each year.
“So you can see that we’re running at a 60 per cent differential, and what’s happening is we’re pulling funds from our reserve—and we’re running out of funds.”
The seniors society has sent a letter to the Municipality of Jasper, requesting financial assistance to ensure that the town’s seniors have safe, affordable transportation to their appointments.
In 2010, after the society lost its annual provincial funding, the Municipality of Jasper covered the $14,000 cost, to ensure the service would continue for the year.
It was then left to the town’s seniors to come up with the cash to keep it running. Fortunately, in 2011, the provincial government provided a $20,000 one-time grant, but that was the last year the seniors society received funding.
“So for 2012, 2013 and 2014 we’ve been operating the bus by drawing money from the Jasper Seniors Society reserve fund—thankfully we had those funds,” said Worsfold.
But, those funds weren’t meant to be spent on operating the bus. In fact, they were there to purchase a new bus when the current one gives up the ghost. The bus was purchased in 2002, after a substantial fundraising effort by the seniors.
At that time, according to Glenda Cornforth, the current society president, the community gave sizable donations.
“People tend to do that, they don’t mind giving if it’s one thing, bricks and mortar, but giving to keep it running, whether it’s a building or a bus or whatever, it isn’t as showy—you can’t point to it and say, ‘I put gas in the bus this week,’ it’s boring.”
Even so, that’s exactly what the seniors society is asking the community to do.
Seniors interested in using the bus are encouraged to call 780-852-3447.
Nicole Veerman
[email protected]
