Altona recently introduced a public transportation pilot project which is seen as potentially meeting a significant need in the community.
The Town of Altona is working in partnership with The Community Exchange (TCE) to launch the program to help residents get where they need to go safely, affordably, and reliably, and there is hope that it will shape a long-term, made-in-Altona transit solution.
It had a soft launch in June, and since then there has been 273 total ride requests and a 92 per cent fulfillment rate.
The top trip purposes include medical and para-medical needs as well as groceries, and the peak demand times have been early morning and late afternoon.
“Community members are so thankful, and we are pretty well booked every day,” said program coordinator Helga Jungbluth. “We are super busy, and it’s good to be busy. It’s so nice to see how people are appreciative and how happy they are that they don’t have to worry about getting to their appointments or whatever it is they need.”
“Access to transportation is essential for work, learning, health and connection, particularly in more rural areas,” noted Mayor Harv Schroeder. “This pilot program is about removing barriers and learning what works here in Altona.”
“It’s been incredible to watch the program unfold,” shared Paul Peters, TCE executive director. “In June, it felt like it may be a slow start, but as July got underway, we quickly started to see the need.
“Our ridership has seen a steady climb over the first few months, with September having more rides booked already than we gave in August.”
The community’s need for local transportation has been identified repeatedly over many years by a variety of stakeholder groups and organizations, including Equal Access Altona, the town’s accessibility committee, the Altona and area immigration coordinating committee, and business leaders.
More than a decade ago, a community working group presented research and data supporting a need for public transportation. While implementation of a program wasn’t supported at that time, council had since set transportation access as a priority, sought external funding, and identified a community partner to lead a pilot.
The project is funded in part by the Government of Canada through the Rural Transit Solutions Fund, which provided a grant of $35,000. The Town of Altona committed a further $45,000 from its budget.
The pilot was designed first and foremost as a data-gathering tool to learn when, where, and how the community most needs service.
It will continue through to March of 2026, and the findings will help determine if a public transportation program is feasible and inform recommendations on service design, hours, fares, accessibility features, and long-term funding options.
For many people in the community, transportation is a barrier to accessing health care, food, and sometimes even employment, emphasized Jungbluth.
“Through offering this opportunity for an affordable ride, many in our community can feel a burden lifted off their shoulders,” she suggested, noting how it can be taken for granted that people have vehicles. “Especially for newcomers, most of them have come here and they have no car, no driver’s licence … so many of them are in that same boat. The program really can give them access to whatever they need.”
The program generally provides service within a 50 km radius from Altona, so it can go as far as Morden-Winkler, including the Boundary Trails Health Centre.
“We also go to Winnipeg, but the only main purpose for going to Winnipeg is for medical appointments,” Jungbluth noted.
She shared that they are somewhat limited yet in terms of access to vehicles and volunteer drivers.
“We use private cars as well as right now we only have one car available,” she said. “Volunteers will use their private cars.
“We are super happy with our volunteers and the program, and everyone is super happy to have it in place,” Jungbluth said. “It’s really nice to see and heartwarming.
“We’ve already begun reaching the threshold of our current capacity but continue to dream of how to make sure everyone continues to have access to transportation. It’s heartwarming to see how thankful our community members are.”
“Council appreciates the federal support and are proud of our investment to test a practical solution,” noted Schroeder. “We are also very thankful to The Community Exchange for their partnership and recognize the importance in working together for the good of the community.”
“The need is clear. The impact on our community members is even clearer,” said Peters. “Our task and goal now is to continue to explore how this project can become sustainable in the future.”
To learn more, residents can go online to www.tcealtona.ca or phone Jungbluth at 204-312-1417.
