Calgary Handibus will continue as Calgary Transit takes over

Access Calgary Handibus drivers and support staff will join Calgary Transit, continuing to offer its specialized door-to-door service for people with disabilities in the city.

Last fall,Handibusdetermined itscurrent business model for operating buses wasunsustainable and announced the service would be taken over byCalgary Transit. But there was a question about what would happen with staff.

• Calgary HandiBus to stop operations in 2015

Wednesday, Doug Morgan, director of Calgary Transit, announced ATU Local 583voted 93 per cent in favour ofHandibusoperators and support staff joining the City of Calgary.

"We don't see any impact whatsoever as far as additional expenses to bringing this crew over to Calgary Transit," said Morgan. "So we're pretty excited to provide the same level of service plus be more equipped for future demands that are certainly to come as Calgary ages."

Morgan says Access Calgary will still be responsible for raising money for the Handibuses. He said there are currently about 15,000 customers and the service makes more than one million trips a year.