Access-A-Ride changes hurting regular users
By Lethbridge Herald on October 23, 2025.
Editor,
To say I am infuriated is an understatement. The previous transit manager shifted resources from the Access-A-Ride service to “on-demand” buses, effectively taking away dedicated handicap buses. As a result, we are now left with only one bus operating at night. Even when there were three buses running in the evenings, it was often insufficient—many riders, myself included, missed important events because evening bookings were unavailable.
Now, I have been informed that as of Nov. 6, another full Access-A-Ride shift will be reassigned to the on-demand service. This decision is unacceptable.
Over the years, I have repeatedly raised concerns about the lack of service availability. Instead of improving, the situation has deteriorated under the current transit management.
If the city wishes to operate a glorified taxi service through on-demand transit, then purchase 15-passenger vans and fund that service through the regular transit budget—not by taking resources away from the handicapped community.
We’ve seen a clear increase in applications for handicapped status, yet instead of increasing the Handy Bus budget, entire bus shifts have been stripped away to support general ridership.
To give a personal example: if I have a committee meeting at night, I must book my ride home nine days in advance, precisely at 12:01 a.m., to secure a seat for 8:45 p.m. If I wait until the morning to call, all the evening spots are already booked online. Currently, Access-A-Ride buses are transporting dialysis patients until midnight, leaving only one bus available after 8 p.m. for everyone. This severely restricts any semblance of a social or civic life for those relying on the service—and the upcoming changes will make things even worse.
I challenge members of city council to attempt to schedule their commitments using the Access-A-Ride system. If anything comes up at the last minute, I guarantee you will quickly see the impracticality and frustration riders face daily.
I want the bus shifts that have been taken from the Access-A-Ride service reinstated immediately, and regular transit routes to be operated using regular transit buses—not vehicles intended for handicapped riders.
Jill Skriver
Lethbridge
12-11
This is what happens when we constantly vote for people whose campaigns include little more than lowering taxes. We’re in a race to the bottom, and the most vulnerable people are the ones who get hurt. The provincial conservatives keep reducing money available to municipalities, and the municipal conservatives have no interest in investing in “socialist” things like public transit.