Vernon council agrees to pen letter of support for transit expansion to Kelowna

Transit expansion supported

Photo: Castanet file photo

Vernon city council is throwing its support behind a push for a better transit system between Vernon, Lake Country, and Kelowna.

At its Monday meeting, council voted for Mayor Victor Cumming to write a letter of support for increased transit connectivity to the Ministry of Transportation and Transit (MOTT), and BC Transit.

The letter is the latest step forward in Vernon resident Fraser Young’s plight to help better the commute through the Okanagan.

Young launched a petition to merge Route 90 from Vernon to the University of British Columbia Okanagan, with Route 97 which runs through Kelowna.

He says the current system makes it difficult for Vernonites to get to work before 9 a.m.

Currently, Route 90 starts service from the Vernon bus depot at 7 a.m. on weekdays, running hourly until noon and then at certain times until its last departure at 7 p.m.

The route merging would allow residents to commute using a single bus directly from Greater Vernon starting at 5 a.m. with buses running every 15 to 20 minutes to downtown Kelowna or West Kelowna.

Young has already received support from Vernon-Lumby MLA Harwinder Sandhu who agreed to champion the cause directly to BC Transit and MOTT.