Mixed Bag On Moose Jaw Transit Budget

By Robert Thomas

Financially the regular transit system is still struggling with the system heavily subsidized whereas the accessible para-transit system has seen a financial improvement in the past three months.

As part of the quarterly reports - July 2022 to September 2022 - presented at their regular Monday afternoon meeting Council was told the financial positions of the two divisions of Moose Jaw Transit.

The subsidy woes continue for the regular Moose Jaw Transit system - MJ Independent photo

The regular Moose Jaw Transit system continues to bleed red despite the City earlier cutting of Saturday service.

“Regular transit revenues are below budgeted levels while our expenditures are up that is a recipe for our subsidy being higher than expected. It is already at 108 percent of the budgeted level, finance director Brian Acker told Council.

The para-transit system however is ahead of the game financially because of unexpected funding from the provincial government.

“In terms of our para-transit service it is certainly a much better story there. We did receive additional provincial grant funding in 2022. (It was) more than we expected. I believe it is about $40,000 more. So that has had the opposite impact for the para-transit service in that our subsidy is only 60 percent of budgeted levels,” Acker said.