A proposed plan to offer regular transit service between Penticton and Kelowna - and points in between - is one giant step closer following a presentation by BC Transit to the board of the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen (RDOS) on Thursday.
It should be only a matter of weeks before a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) is signed that would initiate negotiations between BC Transit to begin the process to establish a regional and inter-regional transit service that would not only offer regular service between Penticton and Kelowna, but would also include allowing existing transit users in places like Osoyoos, Oliver and Princeton to access the service, said Rob Williams, senior regional transit manager for BC Transit.
Williams and Matthew Boyd, manager of planning for BC Transit, said a Penticton to Kelowna service connecting the entire South Okanagan-Similkameen to the Central Okanagan was identified as a top priority in the 2015 RDOS Transit Future Plan.
Williams and Boyd said the plan is to have an MOU signed with the RDOS and other partners some time in April.
Signing the MOU would initiate contract talks with all transit partners and allow BC Transit to order two new buses, with service scheduled to begin in September of 2019, said Williams.
The proposed service would include two round trips from Monday to Friday, but that could be increased to include more frequent round trips and even weekend service if those service levels are deemed necessary during contract negotiations, said Williams.
During the round trips, passengers in Summerland and Peachland would also be able to access service, said Boyd.
Passengers in towns like Osoyoos, Oliver and Princeton would be able to easily transfer to this new service, he said.
The plan is to integrate this new service with existing transit services in the RDOS, said Boyd.
A detailed service plan would be completed by late summer or early fall that would include bus stops, routing, schedules and integration with existing RDOS transit service and full implementation set for September of 2019, he said.
Each community involved would have to commit funding to be part of this expanded service.
Other programs in B.C. to offer regional and inter-regional service between communities has proven successful and BC Transit management is convinced the Penticton to Kelowna service would be successful immediately, said Williams.
A new regional system offering BC Transit service between Hope and Chiliwack, which offers round trips four days a week, has been a huge success and will likely expand soon, he said.
The detailed service plan that would be prepared once an MOU is agreed on would detail “what the service would look like two, three and five years from now and what it will cost,” said Williams. “We looking forward to talking with all of the partners about the scope of the service.”
To be successful, the fares charged to passengers would have to be affordable and provide an incentive to not use your own vehicle to travel across the region, said Boyd.
It’s going to take 18 months to get the buses once they’re ordered and the soonest the service could be in place is September of 2019, said Boyd.
Bill Newell, CAO with the RDOS, said there’s a lot of work to be done before the service begins and he’s comfortable with the timelines to offer full service by next September.
Karla Kozakevich. chair of the RDOS board, said establishing a Penticton to Kelowna transit service has been a top priority for the board for several years and she strongly supports signing the MOU with BC Transit.
“I think we would be doing a huge disservice for this not to happen,” she said.
Boyd and Williams are expected to return to Penticton in late April to officially sign the MOU with the RDOS board.
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