Whitehorse Transit is effectively being forced to subsidize a bus service for the Yukon Department of Health and Social Services.

That's the opinion of Whitehorse Transit manager Dave Muir.

Last week, he said the territorial government (YTG) has not raised its contributions to the service in years even though gas prices are soaring and most handy bus trips are for Health and Social Services appointments.

'Very few of these trips are leisure trips; about 90 per cent of them are for Health and Social Services,' Muir said in an interview.

'We're subcontracted by the YTG to operate the handy bus. They haven't raised their contribution level in years.'

Muir said while the handy bus service costs approximately $230,000 a year to operate, the YTG is only contributing $184,000 a year about 78 per cent of the total cost.

'People are screaming for this service,' he said. 'To me, they are just saying, Here, you deal with it,'' he said.

Pat Living, Health and Social Services' spokesperson, confirmed this morning the government had not raised its contribution in five years but that the handy bus is a municipal service, not the responsibility of the YTG.

'We have a contribution agreement with the city ... it's not a government service, it's a municipal service,' Living said.

Living said she wasn't sure what Muir meant when he said 90 per cent of the handy bus service is for her department. If the people using the service are residents of Whitehorse, she said, they have a right to use public transportation to go where they want to.

'I question the comments that 90 per cent use the service for Health and Social Service business,' said Living.

'They're (handy bus users) not captives of this department, they're residents of the city and have a right to use it.'

Muir could not be reached this morning to respond to Living's comments.