Many residents who attended the Community Low Income Centre's annual meeting were agreed there is a need for some sort of public transportation, but more input is needed on how such a service can be paid for.

Organizers Fred Sandeski and Gerald Borrowman expressed disappointment over the low turnout to the meeting, held Thursday evening at the Free Methodist Church, after both had received assurances that business owners at least would be in attendance.

The group heard guest speaker Peter Gilmore of the Regina Anti-Poverty Ministry and the work that group undertook to get a one-year pilot program in place to provide more affordable transportation for those on a low or fixed income.

There was also some discussion of a proposed 16-stop route, put forward by Fred Sandeski, along with information on bus services offered by other urban centres in Saskatchewan outside of Regina, Moose Jaw and Saskatoon.

"It's definitely an issue that needs to be dealt with. There are a large number of people who can't afford to run a vehicle and find it difficult to get around," said Sandeski, who emceed the evening and took comments and questions.

Asked if he had talked to the city yet, Sandeski said he first wanted to establish the need for the service, along with ideas on how to fund it, before going to council for their input.

"We did bring it up at the civic election at the all-candidates' debate," he said, noting Ray Hamm commented there that such a service is almost always subsidized in order to operate.

"From the reports we've gotten, it's not always subsidized, or it wouldn't need to subsidized to a great degree," said Sandeski.

Such a service should be considered as an investment, he said, commenting that a public transportation system would help the city to grow and make it a more desirable centre to live in.

One audience member questioned who was going to pay for the service, noting that Weyburn Taxi attempted to have a bus route about eight years ago, but had to shut it down after two months because they couldn't afford to keep it going.

Sandeski replied different scenarios would be looked at, such as whether to look at a contract type of system, or as a service paid for through the city. "If Yorkton can do it, why can't we? We haven't been able to track down information for subsidies. With a contract, it would be to the contractor to keep costs down."

He suggested a bus run on natural gas might be able to save on fuel costs over gas or diesel, but it was pointed out there is no filling station for natural gas in the Weyburn area.

Asked if he talked to businesses, Sandeski said he had and received a very favourable response from most, including many who said they would attend Thursday's meeting. Of the dozen or so in attendance, only one or two were business owners.

While disappointed with the turnout, he said he would like to approach the Chamber of Commerce to gauge support from the business community overall to his proposal.

In his presentation, Gilmore noted the pilot project got underway after a lengthy negotiation by Regina with the province for some funding; it will expire on Nov. 1, with no indication of the program going beyond that date. This came about after much lobbying and petitioning of Regina council by his group and other similar organizations.

One disappointment, he said, is the level of ridership has not been at the level he had hoped for; the break-even point for the Regina transit system is 5,000 riders, but there have only been 2,000 a week so far, on average.

He said the key for any group wanting to promote something similar for Weyburn will be the lobby effort, and he urged people to call the MLA as well as each city council member, to promote the idea of transportation being an investment for the community. He also said public education is important by promoting the need for the service through churches, schools, unions and other community organizations.

Comparative statistics were provided for transit service in other communities, with the closest to Weyburn's population being North Battleford, Swift Current and Yorkton. In all three cities, an annual subsidy was needed, but for two, the subsidy was to cover the operating deficit. For North Battleford, this deficit was $27,600, and for Swift Current it was $36,160. Yorkton had a subsidy of $166,000, with an operating deficit of $116,000.

Sandeski pointed out one method of operation that could be considered is Swift Current's, where they pay the driver $11,400, plus he keeps all the fares. In Yorkton, they have a dial-a-bus service and a flexible route where the driver stops on demand.

Statistics were also provided for Prince Albert and Grande Prairie, but both cities are three to four times the size of Weyburn, and have large fleets with well-established routes.

Fellow board member Gerald Borrowman suggested it would be a good idea to have another public meeting, on a date when more people could attend, before taking the proposal to city council for their input or approval. He suggested either sometime in June, or September.