Transit future discussed

Photo: Contributed

The future of transit in the Central Okanagan will be up for discussion at Kelowna city council, Monday.

With most of the short-term projects from the previous Transit Future Plan complete, staff are now working on an updated version.

Planning began in the fall of last year. A customer survey was conducted in the spring.

The survey, taken by more than 1,700 people, showed a high satisfaction in safety and driver courtesy and a low satisfaction in the cleanliness of buses and availability of bus shelters and benches.

Public consultation on the plan is expected to begin in the fall.

Objectives of the consultation include:

• Presenting proposed service changes and enhancements at public open houses and online
• Educating stakeholders in the decision-making process
• Initiating an ongoing custom transit engagement strategy

The plan is expected to be complete next summer.

In the meantime, details of other initiatives already introduced have been finalized.

In June, council approved a 2,000-hour expansion of the HandyDart service.

The additional hours will be used to improve weekday afternoon and evening service, and extend Saturday hours until 6 p.m.  Expanded service will begin in September.

Driver shield prototypes will be installed in some transit buses as part of a pilot project in the fall.

Design of the new transit exchange at UBCO is expected to be complete soon. The new exchange is expected to be complete next year.