Bus finds new life in community

The Mohawk Council of Kahnawake (MCK) Transportation Department has been given a new wheelchair-accessible bus to add to its fleet, courtesy of Connecting Horizons.

The bus sits 16 people in regular bus seating and can also fit three wheelchairs. It is equipped with ramps, safety features to secure wheelchairs aboard, and is able to do door-to-door pickups and drop-offs.

“We came together last year as a board and decided that we didn’t think it was feasible for Connecting Horizons to maintain the bus any longer. It was taking up a lot of resources,” said Iris Phillips, Connecting Horizons’ advocacy coordinator.

Phillips also said that it was difficult to find and keep qualified drivers to drive the bus to fit Connecting Horizons’ needs.

“We had some difficulty maintaining drivers on a regular basis. Even if it was part-time or full-time work, we couldn't meet the demands,” said Phillips.

Instead of selling it off or trading it in to a dealership for another option, Phillips said that the board wanted to keep the bus in the community.

At first, Connecting Horizons was going to donate the bus to Kahnawake Shakotiia’takehnhas Community Services (KSCS), but after some back and forth, they needed some new options.

“Unfortunately, after speaking with KSCS, they thought that it wasn’t feasible for them to maintain a project of this size,” said Phillips.

Spencer McComber, daily transportation coordinator for the MCK, said that he became included in talks to take over the bus during the summer, as dates for fields trips for certain KSCS programs were closing in - trips necessitating the wheelchair-accessible bus.

“They mentioned, via email with Iris and I, that they should just leave it to me, I’m the one that can provide drivers,” said McComber.

Being a gas-powered bus, it will also be useful for field trips that would be inconvenient or too far away for the current electric bus fleet, said McComber.

The bus is now available on a first-come, first-served basis to anyone in the community who needs it, with rentals costing $35, plus 80 cents per kilometre.

McComber said the funds from rentals will be used for general upkeep of the bus.

“All you have to do is contact me and we can set it up, barring it is not already promised to somebody else,” said McComber.

“I have a driver that I can put on at all times during normal hours.”

He also said that after-hours rentals are also possible, driver depending. "That’s usually not that big of a deal,” said McComber.

Already, the bus has been rented out and used by a few groups - including Connecting Horizons, for the Challenger softball game, on September 21.

“We were met with the option to rent the bus to be able to get inpatients from the Kateri Hospital to come and attend,” said Phillips. “So we did rent our own bus to be able to get them there.”

Aside from bigger annual events, where other organizations will often be participants as well and the bus can be shared, Phillips said that they do not foresee having to rent the vehicle very often.

But Connecting Horizons have not abandoned the idea of providing specialized transportation themselves.

“In the 2016 community assessment, transportation was always one of those barriers people were looking to improve, and get consistent and more reliable adapted transportation,” said Phillips.

To continue trying to improve those needs, they are now looking into getting a van modified with specialized equipment instead.

“This would kind of be like an adapted taxi,” said Phillips. “Since we lack taxi companies in the community, this would be a very specific kind for adapted transport.”

Phillips said that it would be useful for Connecting Horizons in situations where the bus is not available, or if using a bus would be inconvenient, like in cases of after-hours grocery shopping or medical care for a single person.

Phillips also said that because anyone with a regular driver’s license can drive a van, whereas driving a bus requires a special license and training, finding drivers will be easier for them if this project goes ahead.

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