Kelowna Transit expansion planned for the fall will not go ahead

Photo: Contributed

Kelowna Transit will operate a reduced schedule in the fall.

Typically, after reducing service during the summer months, transit ramps back up following Labour Day as students return to the classroom, and other regular commuter trips grow.

However, with UBC Okanagan going to on-line teaching for at least the fall semester, an anticipated reduction of in-person classes at Okanagan College and a possible reduction or limiting of in-class teaching at middle and high schools, transit has decided to roll out its spring schedule beginning Sept. 6.

A 950-hour expansion planned for the fall has also been put off.

The Kelowna transit system took a significant hit due to the COVID-19 pandemic, both financially and in terms of ridership.

At its lowest point, ridership was down nearly 75 per cent in April. It also lost approximately $245,000 in revenue due to both reduced ridership and the waving of fares through April and May.

However, a decision to shift to a summer schedule earlier than normal, resulted in a reduction of about 2,000 service hours, and a cost savings of nearly $200,000.

While ridership has climbed back to about 60 per cent of normal,

In order to offset reduced ridership, transit, through past and future service reductions, expects to save about $1.3 million, of which Kelowna would have been responsible for about $681,000.

Fall service reductions and cancellation of the planned expansion will result in nearly 10,500 service hours, with a savings to the city of $539,000.