Vernon bus riders can have their say today on some proposed changes to transit schedules.
The city and B.C. Transit are moving ahead with a transit service improvement that could possibly include 7,000 extra hours and three extra buses.
Prior to the new plan being initiated, there will be a consultation process, including input stations today from 7 to 9 a.m. and from 1 to 3 p.m. at the downtown transit exchange, at the Schubert Centre from 10 a.m. until noon and at Walmart from 4 to 6 p.m. Input will also be gathered at the RespectFest Multicultural Festival Saturday, Sept. 23.
“Expansion is a good thing and hours added is a good thing,” said Mayor Akbal Mund.
“Some people rely on transit.”
Some current routes would change to reduce redundancies while a new core route — with 15-minute peak frequency and 30-minute non-peak frequency — is proposed for the north end.
However, additional transit will come with a price.
The estimated cost for the March 2018 transit improvement was $810,773, with $419,036 coming from the city and the remainder from B.C. Transit.
“We will have to see what the cost actually is,” said Mund.
“But we are a growing community and we have to keep up with the needs of everyone.”
As part of covering the costs, a fare hike may occur.
City administration and B.C. Transit will also conduct an online and hard copy public survey to gather feedback on the proposed routes, as well as transit use behaviours.
