Picture: BC Transit/file
New proposed transit extensions and main initiatives similar to digital fare expertise are on the horizon for BC Transit of their plans to advertise their companies whereas nonetheless attempting to get better from the pandemic.
Chelsea Mossey, senior supervisor of presidency relations for BC Transit, offered an outline of the present standing of native programs to the Regional District of the Okanagan-Similkameen Neighborhood Providers Committee Thursday.
The presentation supplied an replace on system efficiency, main initiatives and their proposed expansions to routes within the South Okanagan-Similkameen.
Ridership has nonetheless not recovered to pre-pandemic ranges in BC, though it has been steadily growing annually. Provincial ridership is now a bit of greater than 90 per cent of pre-pandemic ranges.
Enhancements which can be on the best way are issues similar to an digital fare assortment system and the considerably latest introduction of NextRide, which is an automatic automobile location monitoring expertise which permits prospects to plan their journey in actual time.
Mossey defined that “new fee strategies will embody a cellular app debit card and bank card funds, cellular pockets, and a reloadable smartcard offering riders with the power to choose the most effective fee technique for his or her life-style and journey habits. It is necessary to notice that money will proceed to be accepted.”
They count on this expertise to roll out by fall or early winter of this yr.
Mossey additionally up to date the area on attainable new transit routes being explored. She defined that there are plans to broaden on the native service inside Oliver and Osoyoos which might hook up with the present Route 40 in addition to native locations.
Each of those growth priorities will come again to the board together with costing related for every. At the moment the board can have the choice to approve them or defer them to a later fiscal yr.
Additionally on the horizon is a low carbon fleet. They’ve plans to be absolutely electrical by 2024.
BC Transit can also be placing a bus shelter on all sides of the street in Gallagher Lake on Route 41.
North of Penticton, they’re additionally planning a “additional growth of route 70: Kelowna to Penticton, introducing service on Saturdays and increasing night service on this route, and that is tentatively deliberate for the 2024-2025 fiscal yr.”
Expansions stay topic to provincial funding availability.
A number of the administrators requested numerous questions on plans for transit within the space, similar to transit routes to the Kelowna airport, which will probably be considered when BC Transit comes again subsequent month to enter extra depth on the long run motion plan and proposed extensions.