At 90-years-young, Margaret Reif volunteers at Orillia’s Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital. “I’m in my seventh year,” she says.
To get to the hospital, Reif rides the Orillia Wheelchair Limousine (OWL) bus, an accessible city-run service that picks residents up right at their door and drops them directly at their destination.
But the OWL bus had a few problems. On top of being an older machine, and a little run-down, the large size of the bus meant there were many places it didn’t fit, like at the entrance of the hospital.
“Anybody that knows when you go to the main entrance of the hospital it’s conveniently built at the top of a hill,” laughs Reif.
Add to that the sharp left turn to even get to the entrance.
“The poor driver must have had kittens every time she had to turn around,” Reif exclaims.
On Thursday, the city of Orillia unveiled a brand new OWL bus.
The mayor, Steve Clarke, says it’s part of an overall fleet improvement. “Now all of our fleet is accessible, and this particular bus will be for those who have slightly additional accessibility issues.”
The OWL bus has upgraded interiors and climate control that gets the stamp of approval from Margaret Reif. “The seating seems a bit softer, more comfortable.”
The new bus has a price tag of $130,000, but residents say it's worth every penny.
Last year the OWL bus made seven-thousand trips, and as Orillia continues to grow, staff says they will continue to monitor the need for buses like it.
