After eight months of service, the Winkler Senior Centre's HandiVan service is shutting down.

The Winkler Senior Centre had brought the service back to the community last year after a long haitus, thanks to an anonymous vehicle donation.

While there was a demand, Senior Centre Director Nettie Dyck says it wasn't enough to cover the operating costs.

"The user ratio just didn't make sense," Dyck says. "It would've been irresponsible to continue."

Operating grants were also not sufficient in covering their overall expenses.

However, Dyck says there were people who came to depend on the service, "that's the part that saddens me," she says.

"To be able to provide that service has been huge."

Organizers also found the community still heavily relies on family and friends for transportation.

"Which is a great thing, we live in a community where people take care of each other and that's something to be proud of."

Effective Saturday, March 31 the Winkler Handivan Service will be discontinued, though the committee is still committed to working with other existing or future transportation services.

The Winkler Senior Centre will continue to provide a volunteer driver service for local rides, as well as to Winnipeg. Users would be charged a mileage fee.

Dyck also thanked the community and the City of Winkler for their support during their eight month run, adding excess donations will go to the Winkler Senior Centre.

Looking to the future, Dyck says users had increased compared to the last time a HandiVan service was offered in Winkler over a decade ago.

"So the need is growing, unfortunately not quite enough to support the system. At the same time 10 years from now that might be a very different picture."