New transit bus arrives in Redvers
July 21, 2025, 6:24 am
Ryan Kiedrowski, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
After many months of planning, the Town of Redvers saw its new transit bus roll into town. The 2025 Diamond Coach VIP 2200 has eight ambulatory seats with three-point seat belts, three wheelchair positions, and three double foldaways (also with three-point seatbelts).
The new bus won’t cost taxpayers in Redvers a dime after successfully receiving $200,000 via a Transit Solutions Fund grant through Infrastructure Canada, with the town responsible for coming up with their $50,000 portion. However, significant donations from the teams at Kingston Midstream, The Richardson Foundation, and Tundra Oil & Gas meant the town would not need to allocate any funds toward the new transit bus.
The federal funding is part of an initiative to improve mobility options for people in rural and remote areas where transportation services are limited.
“We got really lucky that we had a few different companies top up our end because the government grant was 80 per cent so we had the other 20 per cent that we were committed to funding through taxpayer dollars,” explained Jena Cowan, Assistant CAO for the Town of Redvers. “But then we had Kingston Midstream, The Richard Foundation and Tundra Oil & Gas, they just covered the rest of it completely. So absolutely nothing came out of our budget.”
Aside from local trips, the transit bus also travels out of town to places such as Regina and Brandon for medical appointments.
“It’s not even just medical appointments,” Cowan explained. “We had a regular contract to take somebody to go see their family in Kenosee once a month, so we’d take them on the Friday, and then we’d go on the Monday and pick them up. It can be used for a lot of things, and we’ve opened up our license as well to be able to use it, too.”
Previously, the transit bus was meant for senior citizens and people with disabilities, but now more people can use the transit bus.
“Say if you broke your leg, we’ll take you,” Cowan said. “Or if you just sincerely need it—like, you don’t have a means to travel—we’ll kind of open it up to everyone, not quite like a taxi service or after hours to get people home from an event, but still just for the basic needs of life.”
Cowan wasn’t able to be in Redvers for the official arrival, but she did meet it on the highway en route from Regina.
“Unfortunately, I had to go to the dentist while it got delivered,” she explained. “Actually, I was driving to Carlyle, and I met it on the road because it made a cross path.”
Having spent so much time involved with the design and planning with gaining the new bus, having that eventual first glance was a memorable experience for Cowan.
“Seeing it after I got back, physically, in-person, after looking at it on a screen for so long, it’s a strange feeling,” she said. “It ends the completion of a project that’s been going for a couple years as well. It’s really satisfying, and a celebratory day.”
Fate of former
bus to be decided
What happens next with the former transit bus will be determined soon by council, likely becoming an item included on the agenda for next week’s regular meeting on July 23.
“It’s going to go to the July council meeting just to determine what we have to do according to legislation,” Cowan said. “Because municipalities, when they get rid of assets, they do have to follow certain rules, so they’re going to go through that at the meeting and make sure we follow the proper procedure.”
One scenario would be for the decade-old bus to be sold by tender. In the case that the tender process doesn’t yield interest, then a private sale could be considered.
“I do not believe we’re keeping it,” Cowan said. “It still has lots of life left, it’s 10 years old, so we thought we’d kind of get ahead of it while it still holds some value, and then somebody else—hopefully, in a nearby community—could make use of it for a much better price than a new one.”
Operating a transit bus is not something that brings in a ton of income. The town does receive a grant for operating assistance at around $3,000 per year, but those dollars are far from cover the cost of operation.
“We’re still paying for our employee’s wage and their benefits, and obviously the gas and the maintenance on the vehicle,” Cowan said. “It’s definitely a deficit-type situation, but council views it as a very needed service, and I agree.”
The transit bus is vital to Redvers residents, allowing for safe mobility and independence.
“We saw the need for our persons with disabilities and seniors that need to go to our grocery store, which is out on the highway,” Cowan said. “It helps seniors be able to stay in their homes longer, because then they don’t have to worry about getting around. They can still get everything done for themselves, especially in the winter.”
The summer months are a bit slower for the transit bus, “but in the winter, it’s constantly in use,” Cowan said.
The Town of Redvers also invited residents to choose what decal design would adorn the new transit bus through a community vote.
“We had some grand plans, like a full wrap,” Cowan said, adding that she was in favour of a design encompassing the vehicle with something quintessentially ‘Redvers’ such as the iconic water town or the Mountie. “But the public voted in favour of something more simple.”
The resulting design is simple, but also impressive and still retains a symbol of community pride.
