STC, Greyhound closures spark new options to get around Sask.

When Keon Reece accepted a job in Kindersley, he didn't realize how challenging it would be to get there.

Reece, who flew in to Saskatoon from Toronto, needed to find a way out to Kindersley. He said that normally he would rent a car, but this was a one-way trip. 

He looked into taking a bus.

"I started to do research on how to get out here. I noticed there was no bus service to Kindersley," Reece said.

He tried a few ride-sharing sites and apps, then started posting ads on Kijiji and Craigslist.

"I was lucky enough to find someone in Saskatoon who picked me up at the airport and delivered me to the doorstep of where I am now staying," he said.

People like Reece will have an even harder time getting around Saskatchewan and Western Canada starting in October thanks to the announced closure of Greyhound service. The announcement compounds difficulties that began with the Saskatchewan Transportation Company shuttering its doors last May.

'I trust my experience'

Firat Uray started up Rider Express to try to fill the gap after the STC shutdown. His company started with two vehicles and currently running four, with plans to buy two more.

Uray has been in the transportation business since he was 11 years old, living in Turkey.

"With my experience from back home, I've seen opportunity here. I said if we started with what I did back home, with direct experience, I can be successful. I trust my experience," said Uray.

Rider Express began with routes between Saskatoon and Regina. The company has since added routes to Prince Albert and Swift Current. Uray is contemplating branching out further to La Ronge and possibly Humboldt. If the oil and gas industry improves, Estevan may also be in the company's future.

He said that people will always need public transportation and that the government should have some involvement in providing this service. He said the government could provide stations or locations for bus companies to pick up and drop off passengers.

"It could be a small place at a mall with a reading room. Malls are the best options for stations," he said.

New app launched to fill in gap

Saul Segall launched his app ifare after he got tired of spending a lot of money on cabs. He said he was out one night with his friends in Regina trying to hail a cab when a driver came up to them and offered a ride. Segall was uneasy about accepting the ride, so he declined. 

A few months later, another guy drove up to him and his friends and also offered a ride for $10 anywhere in the city. Segall took the chance. He got home safely and paid the driver an extra $5. 

It got him thinking.

"There's a bit of a market, but how can this be done? How can people get from night out to home and take out the creep factor," he said. 

Segall said ifare helps connect drivers and riders. Most of the drivers are taxi drivers who downloaded the app to increase their exposure. Segall said he doesn't make any money from the app.

ifare has a disclaimer that riders and drivers need to take their own precautions in screening their passengers or drivers as there is no vetting process in place, notes Segall.

The bonus for riders and drivers is that they save the service fees that Lyft and Uber charge. 

He said he has contacted SGI about his app. 

"There have been some executives there that thought the idea was fantastic," he said.

Looking for passengers

Some drivers are finding other ways to get a little extra some money on the road. Jingjin Chen, who works in Estevan, posted an ad on kijiji looking for someone to share the drive and cost of fuel to Saskatoon.

"It's my first time posting an ad. Normally I have people I drive with, like my colleagues or friends. But this time, no one was coming. I hate to drive myself. That's why I posted the ad," said Chen, who, according the SGI, is offering a carpool service.

He acknowledged that safety could be an issue when providing rides to strangers, but he's willing to take the risk

"I don't mind offering rides. It's a benefit to myself and to someone else," he said

Government regulations

According to the SGI website, private carpools are legal. 

"A carpool needs to be a private arrangement where the participants are travelling to the same place. For example, co-workers may choose to carpool to work," it states.

However rideshare taxi services aren't considered a private carpool because the arrangement isn't private and the riders aren't all travelling to the same place. 

SGI says that running a rideshare taxi service is not illegal, but transporting passengers for a fee if you're not properly licensed and insured is. Any penalties would be brought against the vehicle owner/operator.