The use of the Rocky View Regional Handibus by Cochrane residents continues to increase at a faster rate than most other communities it serves.

According to third-quarter statistics released by the society, they witnessed a 28 per cent increase in Cochrane's use of the service in a year-to-year comparison. The society provided 3,382 trips from Jan. 1 to Sept. 30, 2017, compared to 2,652  in the same period last year.

Executive director and general manager Paul Siller says those numbers help illustrate the need for transit in Cochrane and he's glad it's now being discussed in earnest by town council and administration.

"A 28 per cent increase in trips is a pretty big thing and I think those numbers show that local transit should really be something in Cochrane's future," says Siller. "We're taking a lot of people because there is no local transit and that makes a big impact on us. When the Rockyview bus is the only form of transit, you've got everyone."

The number of people moving to Cochrane to retire is also impacting the increase.

"I don't know what it is, but everybody seems to want to move to Cochrane to retire."

He also believes it's a strong indication of the transportation barriers that do exist in the community.

"There was a patch a year ago or so when we got a lot of requests to help people to the food bank because there was no way to get home with a hamper of food without a $12 cab fare."

Siller believes some finanical barriers with the town have been shattered and it now recognizes the value of the service provided by the nonprofit organization. It wasn't always that way. Last year a line had to be drawn for Cochrane to either provide the same per capita contribution as other municipalities or simply opt out. Now the town has included their full per capita request in the first draft of the 2018 budget.

"While one councillor thought I was the most evil man in the universe, council did actually give us all the money we'd asked for and we're very pleased that this year council is considering our full funding request."

"The sense I get is there is a recognition that there is a need for more services and finally a recognition that we need a bit of a hand up. We are a real charity and we stepped in when the previous organization dissolved."

The initial town budget recommends increasing Cochrane's total contribution to $189,504 from $168,317. That's a per capita contribution of $7.20, up from $6.70 in 2017.

Basically, the subsidy reduces the costs of travel by 75 per cent. Users pay $4 for every 10 km travelled while the town chips in the rest.

Medical trips remain the number one reason for utilizing the service, accounting for 1,753 of the 3,382 trips. Personal trips (banking, shopping and such) made up just shy of 34 per cent of the trips and the numbers drop rapidly from there to 358 for group outings, which are offered on a cost recovery basis, 109 trips for education, 16 for vocation and two for respite.

Overall they have seen a 19 per cent increase in useage this past year. Besides Cochrane, it provides the service to residents of Rocky View County, Chestermere, Crossfield, Beiseker and Irricana and has made a total of 9,735 trips in the first three quarters of 2017.

Only Crossfield saw a larger increase in use than Cochrane and the total number of trips pale in comparison. Crossfield residents made a total of 732 trips.

Fund raising goals for capital purchases

In 2018, the society wants to fundraise a total of $310,000 to acquire two more buses ($170,000) and upgrade its scheduling technology ($150,000). The funds they receive from municipalities is strictly for operating costs and do not include a capital component.

The scheduling upgrade is the next step in improving their booking system and they hope to follow it with an app in the future.

"We want to get more out of our buses and do better for our passengers. Mobile data tablets will let our drivers know of changes and we can actually redo a schedule during the day instead of our existing situation where we print out the schedule on Tuesday for our drivers to follow on Wednesday. We'll be able to take last minute changes or changes on the same day which will really improve the usability for our passengers."

The bus purchase is required to replace two of their worn down units. They've had some success in receiving major contributions and recognize these donors on their buses.The Alberta Community Partnership program of Alberta Municipal Affairs has also played huge role.

Charitable tax receipts are available for donors.