People can now travel from La Ronge to Prince Albert free of charge

(Ron Woytowich/Kikinahk Friendship Centre)

A free shuttle service that runs from La Ronge to Prince Albert and back began operating on Monday.

This project is spearheaded by Ron Woytowich, Executive Director with the Kikinahk Friendship Centre. He says this project will help show there is a demand for public transportation service from La Ronge to Prince Albert.

“It’s going to work no matter what, I know it. But this is a good way of finding out the actual need,” said Woytowich.

“We are in the far north, we really are. We’re lucky enough to have our hospital here, we’re lucky enough to have courts here and health services and 20 doctors but you still have to go to Prince Albert for the hospital, Prince Albert for specialists, Prince Albert for everything that’s necessary. And we have students from La Ronge that are going to school in Prince Albert," he said.

Woytowich secured funding from the federal government and different agencies to be able to provide the shuttle service for free until March 31.

“My gut feeling is that it will cost us around $80-85,000 between salaries. The wildcard quite frankly is the fuel cost. We budgeted for $1.20 a year and a half ago and it’s $1.80 today,” said Woytowich.

“If we run six days a week and we don’t drive around Prince Albert too much and just take them to one spot or two, it’s going to be about 90,000 kilometres in those five months.”

The shuttle is a 15-passenger bus that has been acquired by the Friendship Centre a few years ago. Woyotwich says they currently have a total of four buses that can be used for this project and because the trip is free, they will accept passengers on a priority basis.

“We are going to designate needs. If somebody was to just say ‘I’m going shopping,' I’m sorry, you are going to be at the bottom of the list. But if somebody needs to go to the hospital or education-wise or social services, then they are going to have first choice,” said Woytowich.

Currently, the free shuttle service runs one trip to and from La Ronge from Monday until Friday. But ultimately, the goal is to be able to run it from Sunday until Friday.

The free service also works for residents of Prince Albert who need to go to La Ronge.

The drop-off and pick-up points are the Kikinahk Friendship Centre in La Ronge, the Co-op in Air Ronge and the bus terminal by Central Avenue in Prince Albert.

The bus leaves La Ronge at 9:00 a.m. and Prince Albert by 6:30 p.m.