The PR-Transpo buses remain parked until further notice.
On May 31, the United Counties of Prescott and Russell (UCPR) announced the service will remain suspended until further notice. Service was to resume on June 5.
According to a statement issued by the UCPR, operational challenges continue with the project.
The municipal transit service began in 2018 with fixed routes serving communities across the UCPR. Due to low ridership, it was transitioned to an on-demand service in June 2021. As an on-demand service, PR-Transpo only had 234 users on its two 20-passenger minibuses before the entire service was suspended on December 23, 2022. PR-Transpo was to return on February 12, 2023, but was again suspended until June, but now the suspension has been extended indefinitely.
PR-Transpo was developed as a pilot project, intended to last until 2025. It is receiving $2,975,534.90 in funding from the Ontario Ministry of Transportation’s Community Transportation Grant Program. The UCPR has committed to providing $140,000 of its own funds to the service over the seven-year period.
