Powell River’s Zunga Bus will continue rolling until at least the end of March.
City council approved a funding extension for the app-based, on-demand bus service during a special council meeting last night (Tuesday).
After two meetings in December where council remained deadlocked, Coun. Cindy Elliott was at last night’s meeting and supported the Zunga Bus, breaking the tie.
“We are a community that has a shortage of workers. It’s very difficult for young people to get homes, get around, get to and from work. When I was a child at 16, I could go out and get a licence and drive myself around. That’s not the case for young people today,” Elliott said.
She says it’s an innovative service that serves a need not met my traditional transit.
“The Zunga bus provides support to people who can’t use automobiles to work go to appointments. It provides services to seniors,” Elliott added.
Others on council disagreed with continuing the service, noting it serves a limited area of the city (Westview) and is no longer subsidized by a grant from BC Transit.
The $57,000 to run the service will come from the climate action reserve fund.
City council will tackle future funding for the bus during budget.
