Transit System Flawed

I am absolutely dissatisfied with Kelowna transit. It is time that transit users in Kelowna join together and form a bus riders union to advocate for
better service. There are many reasons why Kelowna’s transit system is
flawed.

First, you cannot use your transfer during a paid window period such as the one and a half hour time period in Vancouver. In Kelowna you can only travel in one direction and must surrender your transfer. This presents obstacles for low-income people who are looking for work. If you cannot afford a monthly bus pass then it would cost you $1.75 (1 zone) each way to apply for one job. This is too expensive ($3.50) for someone who needs to find a job.

Second, if you work at Orchard Park Mall and get off from a closing shift on Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday night then it is not unusual for you to wait an hour for the next bus home. Third, bus service ends too soon on Sunday and can leave you stranded in the early evening.

Also if you’re considering going to Peachland or Westbank on a Sunday then you better factor in an extra long trip and ensure you don’t miss the last early evening bus. Fourth, over the Christmas holidays, from December 20th onward, I was appalled that the bus service switched to Saturday services, which meant that many were waiting in the cold for long periods of time just to get to work.

Not all people get holiday time, especially low-income and part-time workers. For all of these reasons and more, Kelowna transit users need to organize to demand better service. If that means that we need to put more funding into transit then so be it. People deserve better transit in Kelowna. If you’re interested in starting a Kelowna Bus Riders’ Union
then please e-mail: [email protected].

N. Maier