For those of you relying on the bus service between Red Deer and the south areas of Innisfail, Penhold, and Springbrook, The 2A South Regional Transit pilot project will end this month on March 31st.

Service  will be discontinued due to low ridership numbers and lack of funding.

The 2A South Regional Transit is a collaborative two-year pilot project, between the Government of Alberta and the communities of Innisfail, Penhold and Springbrook. The route connects these communities to Red Deer Transit services.

The Government of Alberta provided $700,000 in funding from the Rural Transportation Pilot Project program to help launch this transit service in January 2019.

Data collected shows consistently low ridership numbers, with a significant decline in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Even with a government granted three month extension to the project and some public health restrictions eased, ridership numbers remain low. Funding for the project ends March 31.

According to Red Deer County Community Services Manager Jo-Ann Symington, “The pilot project served as a real-time test of the demand for ongoing transit within these communities. Based on cost and low ridership, it is not a fiscally responsible option to keep the route in service.”