The last Saskatchewan Transportation Company bus rolled into Assiniboia on the morning of May 31, and the final evening bus came in later that night. The morning bus stopover unfolded like many others, yet it was a historic moment touched with melancholy. Two regular riders purchased their tickets and climbed on, while the driver checked for parcel deliveries.
During the short wait, Assiniboia residents thanked the driver for his years of service and brought him baked goods from the bakery. The STC was started in 1946, but in March the Government of Saskatchewan announced that the STC service would be closed by the end of May because it had continued to be unprofitable.
Up to its closure, the STC ran 27 routes and had over 40 buses, some of them recently purchased. Saskatchewan has over 250,000 km of roads, the most of any other province.
The government’s decision has been criticized. A province-wide call to action called Stop the Cuts encouraged Saskatchewan residents to protest at bus depots. “This truly is a sad day for Saskatchewan,” said NDP Leader Trent Wotherspoon. “It’s a sad day for the families and businesses that depend on this essential service and it’s especially a sad day for the 224 people who are out of work because of this wrong-headed decision by the Sask. Party.”
Assiniboia’s seniors, medical patients and those unable to drive have been hit hard, and now they are scrambling for alternative transport.
Future of passenger bus service unclear
By Greg Nikkel, Weyburn Review
The Highway Traffic Board held hearings on Tuesday on applications from companies who want operating authority to provide scheduled bus service to replace the void left by the closure of STC on May 31, and the board will take up to two weeks to make a decision about whether to grant rights. One Regina-area company that had plans to offer passenger bus service on most or all routes formerly served by STC, Carpe Diem, formally withdrew their application late last week as a result of pressure from supporters of STC who filed objections against them.
Another company, DiCal Transport, went ahead with their application, proposing to run a 15-passenger van service from Melville to Yorkton to Regina, and will consider increasing that service to other areas, such as southeast Saskatchewan, if that route goes well.
Diane Smith, owner-operator of DiCal, has been transporting freight for the past seven years, including delivering newspapers such as the Weyburn and the Assiniboia Times as well as many others around the province, and wants to expand their services to passenger service if they obtain permission of the Traffic Board.
