When communities identify and address the different determinants of health, access to reliable transportation always make the list. It’s also one of the toughest issues to solve and intrinsic to other important factors that are used to measure our individual health and the health of a community.
Lower population density is often one of the greatest barriers to implementing services. If you live eight kilometres from town, any public transportation assets that exist are really of no benefit. Reaching people outside of the business core is the problem that needs to be solved.
As communities are doing more to confront the inequities that contribute to poor health and metal wellness outcomes, accessibility and the isolation that becomes part of the package, they are looking towards new and innovative ideas. While the success of the new ride share service in St. Stephen is yet to be seen, it’s one more step to improving the lives of the people living and working in the area.
The program will likely have an immediate impact on transportation near the downtown core but to truly address the need to move people to where they want and need to be, the program will have to evolve quickly and expand the coverage area so that the people who need the service the most do not feel like they have missed the bus yet again.