permanent suspension of
the PR Transpo Intermunicipal Transit Service
The United Counties of
Prescott and Russell (“UCPR”) have announced the permanent suspension of
the PR Transpo Intermunicipal Transit Service.
In a report
released to Council Members earlier this morning, it was noted that the
inadequate performance of the transit network, low profitability of the
service, and labour challenges encountered by the project team were all
factors requiring the UCPR to suspend the PR Transpo service. Due to
these constraints, it had been temporarily suspended since the end of
December 2022.
As a
reminder, PR Transpo is a pilot project that was launched by the UCPR in
2018 with financial support from the Community Transportation Grant
Program. The purpose was to determine the feasibility of such a service
in rural areas. Although PR Transpo initially operated a traditional
fixed-route service, passengers have been provided with an on-demand
service since June 2021. As of December 2022, PR-Transpo’s on-demand
service had only served 234 passengers, representing 0.2% of the
regional population.
“The decision
to discontinue this project was not made lightly,” said Warden Normand
Riopel. “It is clear that a public transit service is required in the
region, but PR Transpo, in its current form, was simply not meeting the
needs of our community. We will have to consider other options to better
serve our population and to offer responsible and sustainable
performance.”
PR Transpo’s
non-emergency medical transportation service, offered in partnership
with Carefor Health & Community Services, will remain in service and
is not affected by the permanent suspension of the intermunicipal
transit service. For more information about this service, please call
613-932-3451 or visit the Carefor website.
If you have any
questions about this suspension, please contact Geneviève Bougie,
Project Manager, Economic Development and Tourism, at 613-675-4661.