After years of waiting and planning, Summerland finally received a scheduled transit service in 2013.
The first bus ride was on Monday, Oct. 28 when a bus left the Summerland Library at 7:15 a.m.
“This is a big move forward for Summerland,” Mayor Janice Perrino said after the service was started. “It will really assist people who live in Summerland but need to commute to activities.”
The bus service includes stops within Summerland and service to and from Penticton. The cost of a ride is $2 within Summerland and $4 to Penticton. The price drops for a book of 10 tickets and a monthly transit pass is also available.
As an introductory service, fees were not charged in 2013.
The service was well received.
Meribeth Burton of B.C. Transit said the service averaged 50 passengers a day in its first few days of operation.
A paratransit service has been in place much longer, but that service requires users to call ahead, 24 hours in advance, for the service.
“We’re adding something new and exciting, which is a fixed schedule,” Burton said. “This is the first time we’ve introduced a fixed route to Summerland. It has to work.”
Perrino said she has worked to bring a scheduled transit service to Summerland since 1999.
The initial service is for Monday to Friday during the day. Perrino and others on municipal council would like to extend the service to evenings and weekends as the demand increases.
