By paNOW

New passenger service between P.A. and Saskatoon in operation

Jul 30, 2017 | 12:25 PM

A number of private transportation companies are slowly filling the void and helping passengers left stranded after the closure of the STC.

For over a month, Rider Express Transportation has operated routes between Saskatoon and Regina and recently added a Prince Albert stop to their schedule. This is the second company to do so for the area after Forward Coach Lines announced plans last month.

Currently, the service runs Monday, Wednesday and Friday from P.A. to Saskatoon, on offer for $25 plus tax one way. The trip departs at noon from the Tim Horton’s on the corner of 15th St. E and Second Ave. W. The return trip leaves Saskatoon at 3 p.m. There are no planned stops along the way, but riders can request a pit stop and the company will work to accommodate a safe place to be dropped off. 

They are currently looking for a permanent location in the city. 

Owner Firat Uray said the runs from Prince Albert to Saskatoon have seen just over a handful of users each time but he expects this to increase as people become more aware of the service.

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“We are trying to as much as we can to cover the gaps,” Uray said. “But it is all going to depend on demand….We are hoping in a month we will have more people using the service.”

Rider Express Transportation runs a fleet of 15 passenger Ford Transit 300 vans with room for luggage in the back.

Though expanding rapidly and looking to add routes in Swift Current and Moose Jaw, the company has already stopped shuttling people between Estevan and Yorkton as the demand was not there.

“We cannot run empty vans. We have a limited budget. But we are hoping that once school starts, we will have more passengers and we can start running those routes,” he said.

Having passenger transportation experience from his home country of Turkey, Uray saw an opportunity to step up and help when he heard the STC was set to close. He said people have been very vocal in expressing gratitude for his work.

“They are calling us and saying they are appreciating that we are trying to help and provide service. Some of them they are saying they don’t know [what they can do] to show their appreciate [for] what we are doing,” he said. “When I hear these things, we are really happy about it. Those things are keeping us alive and keep us doing what we are doing.”

More information on the transit service can be found online at riderexpress.ca, on Facebook or by phone at 306-209-3636.

tyler.marr@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @JournoMarr