For the first time ever, a municipality served by the Rocky View Regional Handibus Society (RVRHS) has entered into a three-year funding agreement.

This week, Rocky View County (RVC) council has approved terms of the agreement that sets out the funding they will provide the handibus society from 2024 to 2026.

The agreement increases the per capita rate annually and is based upon the population calculated in the 2021 federal census. This year, the society will receive $444,400, based upon a per capita rate of $10.70. The per capita contribution increases one dollar for both 2025 and 2026, amounting to $487,000 and $527,500, respectively.

In its presentation to RVC council, county officials explained the agreement is in response to efforts to streamline processes and create funding stability to assist the society in providing consistent, accessible service to county residents.

Rocky View Handibus executive director Paul Siller says they been encouraging the signing of three-year funding agreements with the six municipalities they serve for the past decade.

"RVC has become the first one, and we're just really happy to have what we do formalized, so we can spend more getting people to where they need to go."

Cochrane is among those other municipalities and remains one of the largest users of the service. Siller says use by Cochrane residents is up 20 per cent from pre-pandemic levels.

Across the region, there's been 16 per cent increase in the use of their services since 2022, and overall it's 10 per cent higher than pre-pandemic numbers.

Since 2019, RVRHS has been the sole applicant and service provider of specialize transportation to RVC residents. It is available to county residents who face transportation barriers in assessing community supports and services.  It operates on a pre-booked, ride-sharing model. Based upon its current funding levels, up to 20 one-way trips can be booked per month at a cost of $4 for every 10 kilometres travelled.