A trio of new transit buses ordered last year have been making the rounds in Swift Current since arriving recently.

At a cost of $454,000, the three buses from Crestline Coach in Saskatoon replaced ageing units in both the Swift Transit and Access Transit fleets.

For SaskAbilities, who recently renewed their contract with the city to operate the transit service, the new buses are not only a welcome upgrade but also a new tool in their core mission statement to enhance the lives of all people experiencing disability.

Trevor Giesbrecht is the Senior Transit Supervisor with SaskAbilities. He explained that above and beyond all of the "comfort" upgrades that come with getting new units, the most important upgrade was the accessibility.

"The biggest difference for me is that we can be more inclusive. We can have all kinds of different people with all varying abilities on any service as opposed to having to separate them between Access (Transit) and Swift (Transit)."

Previously, the older Swift Transit buses were unable to accommodate wheelchairs (for example) due to an outdated restraint system, effectively forcing a number of differently-abled riders to rely on the Access Transit option rather than the regular Blue and Red regularly scheduled lines.

The feedback on the new buses has been positive from both riders and drivers, with riders commenting on the much quieter ride, the comfortable seats and the background radio. Drivers meanwhile report that the new units not only handle much better on the Swift Current roads but that their fuel efficiency is much improved as well.

For Giesbrecht, having anyone be able to use any bus at any time, is a welcome addition to SaskAbilities mission, and he feels as though ridership has been going up as a result.

"Because we're able to make everything more inclusive. Ridership can crossover between the services. So that's where we're noticing a lot of our ridership is coming back. The weather's been a little bit warmer. There are a lot more people out and about. And instead of having to phone and wait for Access Transit, they can are able to access the red line (for example)"

He estimated that pre-COVID Transit ridership was upwards of 30,000 combined trips per year, adding that with the new buses they've noticed an increase of roughly 20 percent.