Demands for transit in Falkland are coming under scrutiny.
The Columbia-Shuswap Regional District and B.C. Transit will fund a $20,000 study to determine if transit between Falkland and Vernon is feasible.
“Right now, we have no bus service,” said Rene Talbot, CSRD director for Falkland.
“The Greyhound goes right through here but it doesn’t pick up passengers.”
Resident Val Woida has presented CSRD and B.C. Transit with a 180-name petition for bus service.
“There are young families and seniors who need rides into Vernon,” said Woida of shopping or getting to doctor and dentist appointments.
“Not everyone has a vehicle to use. I really think it would be used.”
Initially, Woida would like to see a bus connect Falkland to Vernon once a week.
There is no guarantee, though, that buses will be cruising along Highway 97 any time soon.
“It will all depend on the cost,” said Talbot, adding that the matter would have to go to referendum.
It’s been estimated that a transit service (once a week with two return trips) could cost $70,000 a year, with $35,000 possibly coming from the CSRD and the remainder being provided by B.C. Transit.
But the feasibility study will determine the figures further.
“There may be cost savings that could be realized with sharing services and assets,” said Steve Harvard, B.C. Transit senior regional manager, of possibly working in co-operation with Vernon Transit.
“The feasibility study will be a thorough process including public consultation and the result will detail the available options and provide recommendations along with estimated costing.”
The study will take about nine months to complete and the earliest transit could be in place is 2013.
Talbot believes many residents in his community are interested in transit and there should be an effort to provide it if the service is viable.
“The provincial government wants to get people out of their cars but they don’t offer anything in rural areas,” he said.
