The provincial plan to have an affordable bus deliver residents safely to and from their destination along Highway 16’s “Highway of Tears” corridor will have to extract Port Edward and Prince Rupert from its proposed route.
Last week, the city said it would explore an alternative route by partnering with the North Coast Transition Society — which already has an effective transportation system in place for at-risk women and children.
Great news for the transition society, whose funding for the program isn’t permanent. Bad news for low-income men who may have required the Highway 16 bus service. Often, it’s those men that we see hitching to get out of Rupert.
The bus service would have cost $275,000 a year, with the province paying for most of that chunk, Rupert would have paid $14,000 a year, Port Edward $300 per year. Of course, this is a pilot program and the province only committed to funding for the first three years.
Still, why not take advantage of this to see if it works?
Provide safe and affordable transportation to all and empower vulnerable men with the opportunity of safe travel options.