A new discounted bus pass is now available for recipients of Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped (AISH).
The new $38 bus passes went on sale Wednesday. It’s part of an effort to make transit more inclusive, said Will Steblyk, manager of planning and customer service for St. Albert Transit.
“We’re hoping that this opens the doors to a lot of AISH recipients who may not have realized in the past that transit is an alternative,” he said.
“We’re hoping that it will provide them with another transportation option.”
St. Albert Transit offers two levels of bus pass, one for local service only and another that provides for commuter service to and from Edmonton. The AISH pass is a commuter pass that’s been discounted 60 per cent. The regular price for one of these passes is $95.
Most transit services in the province offer a discounted pass for the severely handicapped and this move is a response to demand for a similar service in St. Albert, Steblyk said.
Transit doesn’t track the number of AISH clients who are already users. And Steblyk knows it could take some time to catch on.
“It’s our hope that they just give it a try. They might find it to be a very valuable service,” he said.
The buses in St. Albert’s fleet are all wheelchair accessible, he noted.
To spread the word of the new program, St. Albert Transit provided the province with brochures to be sent to all St. Albert AISH recipients, of which there are about 340.
During the 2011 budget process last fall, council approved $38,000 to allow St. Albert Transit to offer the subsidized passes to residents who are AISH recipients. It was Mayor Nolan Crouse’s idea.
“A tremendous number of individuals will benefit by this,” he said. “I think it’s long overdue.”
Most AISH recipients live on limited incomes so this will help them get around more cheaply and independently, he said.
“This is just another example of making sure that we’re considerate and taking care of all peoples within our community,” he said.
The AISH pass is valid on all St. Albert Transit buses and Edmonton transit buses, plus Strathcona County Transit with an additional zone fee. The pass is not valid on the handibus.
The passes are available through the city’s community and protective services department, which is located on the main floor of St. Albert Place at 5 St. Anne St. When purchasing the pass, residents will be asked to show their current health benefit card, photo ID and verify that they are residents of St. Albert.
