ST. PAUL – Municipalities in the St. Paul region want to know what kind of rural transit could work in the area and are asking the public for their thoughts through a survey.
The survey, available until the end of the year, is open to people 15 years old and above. It is being conducted by the STEP (St. Paul/Elk Point) Economic Development Alliance, on behalf of the County of St. Paul, the towns of St. Paul and Elk Point, and the Summer Village of Horseshoe Bay.
The survey is available online through the St. Paul Regional FCSS website; student portals for Portage College, St. Paul Education, and University nuhelot'ine thaiyots'i nistameyimâkanak Blue Quills; as well as through the municipal websites of the STEP municipalities.
Survey copies are also available at the Elk Point and St. Paul FCSS offices, municipal administration buildings, Sunnyside Manor, and Elk Point Seniors’ Lodge.
The survey is part of a feasibility study being conducted by STEP about rural public transit solutions, said Emma Schreiner Vonk, communications coordinator with the County of St. Paul.
“We want to gather some input to see what [public transit] people would actually be interested in using.”
Baylee Jeffery, economic development assistant with STEP, said the survey is being conducted because there seems to be a major lack of public transit in the region, especially public transit between the Town of St. Paul and the Town of Elk Point.
Transportation is a barrier for many people in many areas, including healthcare, said Jeffery.
“One of the major barriers we have is getting patients to and from appointments,” or finding transportation for patients trying to go back home after, she said. “We've been finding emergency services have been used to get people to their appointments . . . but then [patients] have no way of getting home,” she added.
Not only is the issue tying up emergency services, “But it’s just really not the best way of getting around,” acknowledged Jeffery.
There are also many newcomers in the region who do not have access to a personal vehicle.
“Even for our local population, not everybody has that,” she added. “So, we need to address that.”
There seems to be a rising trend of younger demographics choosing not to get a driver’s license, as well, according to Jeffery.
So, the survey will help understand how people are getting around, she added. The survey will not take long and can be completed in under 10 minutes.
“We can’t really move forward with any type of major funding [for public transit] unless we have these answers and we have an idea of what’s going on with our population,” said Jeffery.
The study is funded through the federal government’s Rural Transit Solutions Fund, under the Canada Public Transit Fund.
