It has been a long time coming, and now those living in Regina finally have a bus route taking them from downtown to Regina International Airport.
“There have been talks about a bus service for well over two decades, so for those who have been asking for bus service, the time is now,” said Regina International Airport President & CEO James Bogusz.
Bus route 24 will run Monday to Friday, and roughly 29 times throughout the day.
There will not, however, be routes on the weekend. The city said routes could be expanded if the airport feels it is necessary.
“We would love to see in the future, as this route develops, expanding hours,” Bogusz said. “For right now, it makes sense for Monday through Friday.”
Regina Mayor Sandra Masters said many people fly into Regina and head straight downtown, but have always had to use a cab or rent a vehicle to get there.
“We have had situations in the past where we have folks coming in for conferences during the week and it has been really difficult to move hundreds of people at a time,” Masters said. “Having a route now and having that responsiveness for special events will also help folks when they arrive have a good time.”
Bogusz said there is also a push to keep pedestrians off the Lewvan intersection, as old bus routes would drop people off on Regina Avenue, and they would have to cross the intersection with no crosswalks.
“We feel strongly, as does the city, that having an alternative other than just taking a car or having to walk across Lewvan where the previous bus would drop you off, that was really unacceptable,” he explained.
When asked if a crosswalk would be put in, Masters said the city would be looking at busy intersections and where crosswalks might be best suited in the coming months.
The bus route is being funded by both the airport and the city. The Regina airport will contribute $100,000 each year for the first three years, while the city is contributing $283,000 each year.
After three years, the success of the route will be re-evaluated.
For the first week of the transit bus running, there will be no fees to ride until May 12.
A full schedule of bus departure times can be found on the City of Regina website.