It’s been a tough few weeks for Bancroft Community Transit (BCT), according to Director Gwen Coish, after a string of vehicle breakdowns have put pressure on BCT’s ability to provide essential services to the community.
BCT delivers food and groceries, provides transportation to medical appointments, and supports residents with limited mobility or access.
But Coish says the recent setbacks have highlighted the urgent need to replace parts of their fleet.
“One of my biggest concerns is that without enough funding to replace these vehicles, we may be forced to cut services — and that touches my heart so deeply,” she told MooseFM this week, in an emotional interview. “I don’t want to have to make those difficult decisions.”
The Drive4Change campaign, launched earlier this spring, is aimed at raising funds to replace and expand BCT’s vehicles, or “vessels,” as Coish calls them, that connect people to food, services, and community life.
“Transportation is the link to everything,” she said. “If people can’t get to appointments or events or pick up their groceries, how can they benefit from all the services we offer in Bancroft? We want to fight for this community, and this campaign is how we’re doing that.”
Coish urges residents, visitors and even former locals to consider supporting the fundraising campaign.
“Maybe you live in Toronto, but your parents receive food boxes from us. Maybe someone you know relies on us to get to work. This service matters — to seniors, to people with disabilities, to anyone who otherwise has no way to get where they need to go.”
Donations can be made through BCT’s “buddy buckets,” located at No Frills Bancroft (by the ice machine), Physio North (in the waiting room), Wattle & Daub Café (near the entrance), and on the public transit bus itself.
“Our hearts are touched when we see individuals stop our bus, waving their baggies full of change… it means the world to us. We pull over and they pour the change in the bucket. So it’s fun, but at the same time it’s meaningful — and we are grateful for anything.”
People can also call the BCT office or stop by the building on Flint Street to contribute directly.
Coish says that even the smallest gestures of support are deeply appreciated.
