MOOSE JAW — The Gravelbourg Cares Shuttle Service has been helping area residents reach their medical appointments since 2019 and recently celebrated the purchase of a new vehicle and the opening of a new garage.
Residents, board members, volunteer drivers and local, municipal and federal dignitaries gathered at 105 Fourth Avenue East in the southwest Saskatchewan community on Dec. 19 for a ribbon-cutting ceremony to recognize the two achievements.
The shuttle service is a charitable organization that provides essential transportation for health-care appointments and, during the past five years, has travelled over 240,000 kilometres while assisting hundreds of people who lack personal transportation.
The service offers on-demand rides to appointments in Moose Jaw, Regina, Swift Current and Saskatoon.
“This is a big occasion (and important milestone) for our little community organization,” said event MC Al Sutherland, noting that Gravelbourg Cares was a fledgling organization just a few years ago, but today, it is a firmly established and vital service for the area.
In 2022, the non-profit applied to the federal government’s Rural Transit Solutions Fund to support its next phase of growth, which included a new garage and a new fuel-efficient vehicle, he continued.
The organization’s application was successful, and it received enough money to pursue both initiatives. With the application process, Ottawa provided 80 per cent of the funding and the non-profit provided 20 per cent.
Since 2019, the shuttle service had been using a Ford Transit van, but in September 2023, the board purchased a 2024 Hyundai Tuscon and traded in the van, which had accumulated more than 196,000 kilometres, said Sutherland.
“It was a time for a change to something more affordable, comfortable and fuel-efficient for our clients,” he remarked.
The shuttle is used nearly five days a week and drives roughly 1,000 kilometres per week, and since last year, it has already logged over 64,000 kilometres.
Sutherland noted that, since purchasing the hybrid SUV, the organization’s fuel expenses have dropped by 40 per cent, which has allowed it to pass on the savings to clients. Typically, the service asks for donations to cover the distance of each trip, and while most people meet this request, some cannot, so the organization works with them.
“We’ve never denied service due to an inability to pay. Some clients even donate more than we ask, which helps offset any shortfalls,” he added.
Meanwhile, the new garage sits on a lot that the Town of Gravelbourg owns and leases for $1 per year, while the non-profit does not have to pay property taxes with this arrangement, said Sutherland. Former mayor Darcy Stefiuk and the previous town council were instrumental in setting up this agreement.
Community contractor Larry Bevans constructed the garage this summer, Gross Electric installed the electrical components, and John Quigley at No Problem Machining and Welding provided the materials for the sign on the roof’s peak, the event MC continued.
Furthermore, HB Service provides free oil changes and tire swaps — they happen every six to seven weeks — for the shuttle SUV, and the community car wash offers free washes.
Sutherland also singled out Wendy Lorrain, the shuttle service’s only dispatcher, for working tirelessly to fulfill clients’ needs, scheduling every trip, and doing “a super-human job (of) making everything run seamlessly.”
However, the “heart” and “backbone” of the Gravelbourg Cares Shuttle Service is its 15 dedicated, unpaid volunteer drivers, who give up their time — often an entire day — to drive people to their appointments, the event MC continued.
“All they get is lunch money, so it’s not about the cash for them … . Our clients consistently praise our drivers for their safe, friendly and professional service,” said Sutherland.
Sutherland added that the service ensures that residents remain in their homes instead of moving to large centres for medical care, which also preserves the town’s population, supports businesses, attracts people and keeps the community thriving.
