After losing a loved one to cancer, a local shuttle company is offering discounts and working on getting free rides for people travelling for cancer treatments.

Mi Drive operates in the southeast picking up people in Estevan and Weyburn and travelling to Regina, stopping at both hospitals in that city. It's run by Mike and Bev Pickering of Midale. They started the service three years ago after Bev's dad got cancer in rural Manitoba and needed to hire a driver to get him to treatments in Winnipeg. They saw the need for a shuttle service for cancer patients in the southeast, even before the shut down of STC, stating cancer patients generally want to get back home soon after their treatment has finished.

Mike shared their motivation for recently cutting their fees in half for cancer patients receiving treatments.

"Just simply because there's a lot of people that we have taken back and forth and it does put a financial strain on those individuals, so we thought it was the right thing to do. And Bev's dad passed away in December and it's kind of for him and for all the other cancer patients out there."

The couple is currently seeking sponsorship to cover the full costs of transporting cancer patients to receive treatment so they can travel back and forth to Regina for free.

Bev explained they sometimes do more than simply drive people to the hospital.

"What we found is, some people, the treatment might be new to them, they're not sure where to go. So, we always make sure we always get them directly to their appointments and, at times, take them in if that's what's required."

The couple doesn't exclusively shuttle cancer patients. Since the shut down of STC, the Pickering's have also found themselves performing a courier service for the health region, Canada Post, SaskTel and others.