Ring in the New Year with a free ride home.
For the 32nd year, the City of Regina and SGI are partnering up to host the Wing in the New Year program. This program offers free transit and paratransit rides to ensure everyone gets home safe.
Mayor Michael Fougere said transit drivers are stepping up to spend their night making sure you get home safe. “I think really shows their character. They have the greater good in mind, they understand this is a very important service and they are sacrificing their New Year’s Eve celebration with their families and friends as well. It’s just wonderful that they are doing that.”
Fougere said there will be 45 buses running and all routes will be open.
Minister Tina Beaudry-Mellor was representing SGI Minister Joe Hargrave at a media conference Tuesday morning. Beaudry-Mellor said this is an important program because as a province we need to make responsible decisions. “But I think we also need to make sure there are a lot of options out there to make responsible decisions.”
“I think we need both things,” she added. “We need people’s behaviors and attitudes to change and shift to see that this is not acceptable and that you can not only endanger your own life, but the life of somebody else. We have a responsibility to try and provide as many options as possible to encourage people to make those choices.”
Regina Police Superintendent Lorilee Davies said officers will be out in full force making sure everyone gets home safe. “Certainly our traffic safety officer are out there, as they are every other day. I don’t think we will see anything out of the ordinary, although there are certainly a lot of options out there for people. The increased transit service to that time in the morning is something our officers would see out there and encourage people to take advantage of.”
The free transit service will run from 7:00pm on New Year’s Eve until 2:15am.
You can see real-time schedules and bus routes by clicking here or calling 306-777-RIDE (7433).
Davies adds that some of the other options for safe rides home include taxis, designated drivers or staying over at a friend’s house.
