Efforts are underway to put more people on the bus in Lake Country.
Council has approved a request from the City of Kelowna that Route #23 be amended to include the airport area.
“The diversion takes it off the highway and into a new industrial park and the University of B.C.,” said James Baker, Lake Country mayor.
“A lot more people will use the service.”
The change has the support of B.C. Transit.
“This request will see the route between the airport and UBCO serve an area of increasing density in addition to the new hotel as opposed to the current routing which is directly along the highway with no ability to increase the number of riders served,” said Steve Harvard, senior regional transit manager.
Baker believes the new route will benefit Lake Country residents who are on shift work.
“There are a lot of workers at the airport and Flightcraft,” he said.
It’s anticipated there will only be a minor impact on schedules.
Council has also received information on expansion of Route #23 in September 2012. That process included increasing the weekday frequency during the afternoon peak and mid-day.
“During the period of January to March, weekday ridership increased by 50 per cent, Saturday by 29 per cent and Sunday relatively unchanged,” said Harvard.
“Overall ridership during this period has increased by more than 18 per cent compared to the same period in the previous year.”
