The City of Swift Current is getting some small funding for public transit.

The City has been granted $28,460 from a program that seeks to provide aid to municipalities' economic recovery in transit operation shortfalls, as well as encourage housing affordability due to the impact of the pandemic. 

For Saskatchewan, the program has a total of $11,674,000 to distribute to the various population centres across the province. 

Certainly, Swift Current is getting less than their per capita estimation. Swift Current Mayor, Al Bridal, was quick to pick up on that.

"I do want to say this looks like an awful lot of paperwork to get $28,000 when I see the figure of $11 million for the province," noted Bridal. "I don't think we're getting our fair share."

Bridal clarrified that he is sure that the $28,000 is an accurate amount under the qualifications, but that it seems like most of this money is certainly being funnelled to larger centres. 

Presenting the matter to city council was the General Manager of Infrastructure and Operations, Mitch Minken. He detailed how the public transit program in Swift Current has been seeing a strong rebound to pre-pandemic numbers of ridership, and that this money is to help with that recovery.

"We dropped to about half of our ridership during COVID," Minken said. "Now that we're getting back to more stable circumstances, we're seeing that ridership come back up to our 2019 and earlier levels."

Also aiding the popularity and ridership numbers of the transit program is their expanded routes for things like schools and daycares and other services.