Donna Croft and Gil Johnson of Queens County Transit in Liverpool are gearing up the group’s Yuk Yuk’s fundraiser at the Astor Theatre on Saturday. (Rick Conrad)

Queens County Transit got on the road seven years ago with one used wheelchair-accessible van catering mostly to seniors in Liverpool.

“When we started out, we had one old used wheelchair-accessible van that we got from over in Clare. And I think it was in the garage more than it was on the road,” says chairman Gil Johnson.

Now, the community organization based in Liverpool provides affordable transportation around Queens County and beyond.

It’s one of 23 rural transit services around Nova Scotia.

The Queens County Transit fleet has grown to eight vans, five of which are accessible. And it employs 11 people, nine of whom are drivers.

Ridership is up too, by almost 30 per cent over the past two years. In 2023/24, the service completed 8,218 trips. About three-quarters of those were for seniors. Ridership so far this year is up by more than 1,000, with only half of overall passengers seniors.

But with increased popularity come increased costs. 

“Without community support we would be dead in the water, we wouldn’t be operating,” Johnson says.

“Seven years ago, Queens County was one of four counties in the province that did not have a transit system. Today, we’re one of the leaders and we’re proud of that and we want to be able to keep going but we can’t do it without funding partners, fundraisers. ”

That’s why Queens County Transit has organized its first major fundraiser at the Astor Theatre for this Saturday, May 3. They’ve teamed up with the Yuk Yuk’s standup comedy tour for a show at the historic theatre at 7:30. 

Comedians Francois Weber, Andrew Evans and Ian Black are set to hit the Astor stage.

“That’s going to be a good event,” Johnson says. “It’s going to be something new. Yuk Yuk’s haven’t been to Liverpool in quite some time.”

They’re also planning a silent auction at the event.

Queens County Transit gets about 35 per cent of its operational funding from the province and some other funding from the Region of Queens. 

That funding and community support are vital so that the service can continue to offer rides to residents at reasonable rates.

A round trip within Liverpool, Brooklyn or Milton costs $10. That goes up to about $15 for longer rides to other areas of the county.

But the service also offers much-needed subsidized rides for medical trips to Queens General Hospital in Liverpool or to Halifax.

Manager Donna Croft says that through funding from the Queens General Hospital Foundation, it can offer a round-trip to an appointment in Halifax for as little as $100. The full cost is usually $160.

“It’s not only the seniors we’re catering to,” Croft says. “We’re catering to all ages. Say a mom with an infant has to go to the city to the IWK and she has no means of getting there or she has to wait for an ambulance to take them through. We have the monies through (the hospital foundation) that we can do that drive for them to get her to the IWK.”

“That’s a huge piece of the mandate of community transit, is to be able to get people to those appointments in an affordable fashion because it goes back to our funding partners,” Johnson says. “They’re the ones who help us subsidize those rides. But if you wanted to rent Queens County Transit to go shopping just on your own or to go for a drive, that’s available as well. It wouldn’t be subsidized. It would be fully funded out of pocket.”

Tickets are still available for the Yuk Yuk’s comedy fundraiser through the Astor Theatre box office or Ticketpro.ca.

And if you need a ride on Queens County Transit, they ask that you contact them at least 24 hours in advance by contacting them at 902-356-2670, by email at info@queenscountytransit.ca or message them on Facebook.

Email: rickconradqccr@gmail.com

Listen to an audio version of the story below

Bill Smyth and Alex Doggett of Queens County Transit with one of the new hybrid SUVs the non-profit society bought with funding from the federal and provincial governments. (Queens County Transit Facebook page)

Queens County Transit has received government funding to expand its fleet and to keep up with the growing demand for its service.

The non-profit based in Liverpool has bought two new hybrid SUVs, thanks to $116,293 in funding from the federal and provincial governments.

Alex Doggett is the chairman of the Queens County Transit Society.

“It came at a very opportune time for us. We were in this condition where we were refusing rides because we didn’t have enough vans and drivers.”

The new vehicles have been on the road since early April, Doggett said. The service now has eight vehicles, five of which are wheelchair-accessible vans.

“By having the two vehicles, we’re able to keep up with most of the requests, not all of them,” he said.  “It’s quite amazing how busy the vans are.”

Queens County Transit gave more than 8,000 rides last year. In April alone, their fleet was out 700 times.

The service has been operating since 2018, when it started with three vehicles. It provides a relatively low-cost transportation option for anyone in Queens County. But it’s become an important resource for seniors and those on low incomes.

The federal government chipped in $93,034 through the Rural Transit Solutions Fund with the Nova Scotia government contributing the remaining 20 per cent, or $23,259.

Kim Masland, Nova Scotia’s public works minister and the MLA for Queens, said at an announcement on Friday that the funding will make a big difference in the community.

“I am so proud to support you. I have never been more proud and humbled to be the MLA for an area that is just growing more and more every day. And the big thing we take away every night is our hearts. The people’s hearts in this community are absolutely incredible and they open them up and do the right thing every day for the people that surround them.”

Doggett said the service survives thanks to government funding like this and support from the community. The Region of Queens municipality also committed $48,500 in funding to the service for this fiscal year.

“What it means is that we didn’t have to go into a fundraising situation, going to the public,” he said. “Where we’re non-profit, it gets very tight at the end of the fiscal year for us and it’s always great to have these types of programs.”

He said the cost of gas has doubled in the past year and maintenance costs have also risen.

“It’s really been quite an undertaking and hopefully it will continue into the future.”

Doggett said Queens County Transit is always looking for new volunteers and board members to help ensure the service thrives for a long time.

“We’re at the point a number of us are seniors and it’s time to get some younger blood in to carry on with this. Some of us are getting to the point where we’re probably going to be stepping down and hopefully get other people to come in and take over.”

The society has its annual general meeting scheduled for June 18 at 10 a.m. at their headquarters at 31 Milton Rd. in Liverpool.

To book a ride with Queens County Transit, call 902-356-2670 or message them through their Facebook page.

Email: rickconradqccr@gmail.com

Listen to the audio version of this story below