Those taking in the 2020 Scotties Tournament of Hearts in February in Moose Jaw will be able to take advantage of free transit service.
While there won’t be special routes for the event like there is for Rider games or major concerts in Regina, the bus routes will be well marked and made available to anyone going to the matches and wanting to use transit.
City of Moose Jaw spokesperson Craig Hemingway said there’s already a buzz in the air for the tournament that starts up in a few months. The city hosted the event back in 2015, and free bus rides for curling fans was something city council approved last time the Scotties were in Moose Jaw.
“We want to provide an extra means of getting to Mosaic Place for all of the action and another way of saying welcome to Moose Jaw,” stated Hemingway.
Anyone with a ticket to a draw will be able to use the transit service without having to pay the fare. While there will not be special routes made for the the Scotties, there will be route information on route schedules made available.
A communications plan will be created to promote the service and have the information readily available and accessible to the public.
One change Hemingway mentioned is that one hour parking signs will be going up on the 300 block of High Street West. Since there are no meters there, and with the Scotties being an all-day event, the city wanted to discourage the chances of vehicles from curling fans being parked in front of businesses throughout the day.
“We felt to be fair to the businesses who still need to do business that maybe a solution such as this would be the best way to mitigate that.”
The Scotties is expected to bring six to $12 million worth of economic impact to the Moose Jaw economy.
