Handi-Bus looking to renew MoU with town
By John Watson Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
The Strathmore Handi-Bus Association presented a delegation before Town of Strathmore council to discuss an extension to their existing memorandum of understanding (MoU) during the Nov. 13 Committee of the Whole meeting.
It was requested to renew the MoU for another four years, as the current agreement will expire come December.
The current four-year MoU agreement between the Town of Strathmore and the Handi-Bus Association was signed Apr. 6, 2022 for the years of 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024 for the town to provide $175,000 each year.
“It was originally the $175,000 (which) was in place for more than a decade, and when we sought the MoU four years ago, that was the base rate and then it was increased at the tax increase … that was two or three per cent and that has carried through the entire MoU,” said Mark Gibeau, chair of the Handi-Bus. “This MoU was ending up in this fourth year at about $196,000 … we would ask to start at basically rolling over the terms of the last one so we would start with what this MoU ended with and it seems like that incremental increase has worked for both of us and the town for their budgeting.”
Upon request from Coun. Denise Peterson, Gibeau explained each trip to and from Calgary cost $75 to travel to the east side of the city, or $80 to get to the west side.
Accounting for total operational expenses and the number of trips being taken back and forth between Calgary, Gibeau reported the Handi-Bus is delivering rides at lower rates to their patrons than what was observed five years ago.
Peterson also inquired as to whether the Handi-Bus Association had considered threshold funding from the town. This would set a minimum contingency threshold based on worst-year balances and would be adjusted for inflation.
“We have not really explored exactly that, but … we have engaged various grants through the county as well as through the government, but that is something we can definitely look at,” said Christi Shworak, vice chair of the Handi Bus.
Gibeau added, at Coun. Melissa Langmaid’s inquiry, the most recent rate increase to users of the Handi-Bus occurred on April 1, with another to be implemented in 2025.
Ridership of the Handi-Bus was also reported to have increased, going from approximately 2,600 at the end of 2022, to over 4,000 at the end of 2023. The metric for 2024 has yet to be calculated.
As the delegation presented before the Committee of the Whole, no decisions were finalized regarding the Handi Bus Association’s request to continue their MoU.