After going without for almost two years, the northeastern Saskatchewan community of Creighton will soon have bus service again.
The village has been without bus service since the Saskatchewan Transportation Company shut its doors in the spring of 2017.
However, a company called the Creighton Connection will begin offering twice-weekly service to and from Prince Albert next month.
Creighton Mayor Bruce Fidler said the community’s residents have identified the need for a bus service as a top priority.
“When we did our strategic planning survey and one of the top needs that was identified by people of the area was a bus service of some kind to bring that back for the people of the area,” he said. “So, we’re just moving forward on that.”
Fidler added he is not surprised at the feedback as a lot of people had been relying on the STC service.
“There is a great need for it because a lot of people travel from here out to Prince Albert, Saskatoon, for medical appointments, eye appointments, for schooling, all those issues.”
Fidler said the town has used $200,000 from monies received when the community was eliminated from the Nuclear Waste Management Organization to cover start-up costs of the new company.
The bus company will be run by an arms-length organization called the Northern Creighton Development Inc.
So far, a 15-passenger transit van has been purchased and two drivers hired.
Creighton Connection will offer service on Mondays and Thursdays with stops between Creighton and Prince Albert at the Northern Lights Lodge and Caribou Creek Lodge on the Hanson Lake Road.
(PHOTO: Creighton has not had bus service since STC closed its doors in the spring of 2017. However, this will all soon change when a new bus company begins operating out of the community next month. File photo.)