In a statement released on June 1st, 2019, The Disabled Transport Society in Grande Prairie, Alberta, wrote:

”GRANDE PRAIRIE – Karen Bainbridge, representative of Disabled Transportation Services, released the following statement today regarding the reduction of services and the dispute with the City of Grande Prairie:

It is with great regret that Disabled Transport Services (DTS) has been forced to reduce transportation services in the Grande Prairie area.

A reduction in our grant from the City of about $100,000 (roughly 14%) has caused a crisis within the service.

While the City has reduced our funding dramatically, our service levels have increased. There are 60 new users that joined in 2019, maintenance costs have increased, buses have been added to the fleet, there has been an increase in service hours and the service has been expanded to new rural areas.

We simply can’t provide this needed service anymore without more help. We have to reduce service to essential levels, and even that can only be sustained until the end of June.

The City of Grande Prairie needs to step up to make sure that transportation services for the disabled are not lost.

Disabled residents of Grande Prairie depend upon this service to get around. If the service is lost, the disabled will become trapped in their own homes.

The City needs to either increase funding for disabled transportation or bring the service in house with the existing employees.” 

We the undersigned are demanding that the City of Grande Prairie, Alberta, step up and make immediate room in the budget for our city’s most vunerable. It is an outrage that a service as necessary as this would be underfunded and forced to close. The City of Grande Prairie must guarantee services such as Disabled Transport Services have the funding they need to better serve our community.