Transport de Clare looks to expand to Digby in September

Transport de Clare wants to come to the Digby area this fall.

Claredon Robicheau, president of the community-based transportation association, presented Digby district council with the results of a feasibility study and a business plan on Tuesday, April 10.

Robicheau said he would like to expand the service from Clare, Weymouth and Bear River to include all of Digby County starting Sept. 1.

The business plan shows costs for three or four ways of for running a service in the Digby area: one is a stand-alone independent service and then several variations on service organized by Transport de Clare.

Last year Robicheau was saying there would be a Digby-based bus to serve the area but now he suggests it makes more sense financially to use the Weymouth-based bus to cover the new areas of service.

That is option 1A in the business plan. Under that plan, the town of Digby and the municipality would each contribute $6,602 in 2012-13. That would increase to almost $7,000 in the second year and $7,200 in the third.

Option 1B involves the purchase of a Digby-based van in the third year and would require a $10,500 contribution from both councils in that third year.

Robicheau responded to a question from the municipality's CAO, Linda Fraser asking for clarification on how much money Transport de Clare was asking for.

He said that the municipality's contribution in 2012-13 could be even less than the $6,602 if the service is approved for a provincially funded pilot project from September 2012 to March 2013.

He is presenting the councils with the society's financial information and proposed budget now so they can consider it during their budget meetings. Those meetings usually take place in early summer.

The Centre d'aide en affaires et en entrepreneuriat(CAAE) prepared the report. They are a university centre based at Universite Sainte Anne and under the direction of the Conseil de developpement economique de Nouvelle Ecosse (the council of economic development of Nova Scotia).

To produce the report, they used information gathered at a transportation forum held in Digby Nov. 9, 2011 with approximately 100 people in attendance.

Robicheau also provided information from individual meetings last fall with Bear River Board of Trade, Digby Neck & Islands Super Seniors, The Digby Town Council, The Municipality of the District of Digby Council and various service organizations.

jriley@digbycourier.ca