VANDERHOOF – Not only is there a new low cost BC Transit service bus running 3 days a week connecting communities along Highway 16. Vanderhoof and Saik’uz will have a free community shuttle bus starting July 10 as well.
The District of Vanderhoof has confirmed that a vehicle for a local shuttle bus service has been purchased. It is in Prince George right now and will be delivered shortly. The free service in partnership with Saik’uz First Nation will run five days a week and commence next month.
“The District of Vanderhoof is looking forward to providing this shuttle service in partnership with Saik’uz. We hope to better understand the local transportation needs over the next year. Our community bus service will tie in nicely with the BC Transit highway bus service,” said District of Vanderhoof Mayor Gerry Thiessen.
Bus signs have been ordered and will be installed by public works around town.
Saik’uz will be contracting a driver and storing the bus in a heated and enclosed compound. The bus will start there and end there.
The map and schedule are tentative for now so that improvements can be made as evaluated from feedback through the process of implementation.
“This is the best place to start to make sure we have those services. We will update the maps and schedule with feedback and adjust it down the road” said Tom Clement, reading a report on Community Transportation at a Council meeting Monday June 19.
The route will run with stops in the same order four times a day.
The route has been considered so that seniors at Nechako View and Riverside Place can catch the bus to go get their groceries in the morning.
There will be an 1.5hr between 10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. on call for pick-ups to allow for flexibility and convenience.
Feedback from Saik’uz as to where people are working.Employers are indicating they may even be willing to adjust their shift schedules so that workers can access the shuttle to get to work and back home. CNC program times have also been considered as well. “We want this to be a safe and secure option to get to work. We tried to see where people have jobs and shifts,” said District of Vanderhoof Mayor, Gerry Thiessen.
A webpage and posters will communicate the route and schedule.
– files from Council meeting and update from Special Projects Coordinator, Zoë Dhillon
