Bus-plan freeze ‘very disappointing’

NEWS/ CITY — Plans to expand bus service have been shelved in the wake of provincial belt tightening in favour of “an improvement to the system.”

Erin Felker and Shilpa Panicker of B.C. Transit brought the bad news to Kamloops City council Tuesday as they told councillors the hoped-for 6,000-hour expansion in service is off the table as the provincial government looks to “net neutral” funding over the next three years.

Public consultations last year, held in connection with the Transit Future study, brought out requests for improvements in frequency and running times for several City routes.

A look at those routes, in the context of the belt-tightening, shows that ridership doesn’t justify some expansions, while other improvements can be made by shuffling resources.

Priorities are to improve reliability and efficiency and reduce duplication of service. It comes down to “an improvement to the system even though there’s no additional hours,” said Felker.

Coun. Donovan Cavers, an advocate for green cities and for reducing the use of automobiles for transportation, called the news “extremely disappointing.”

Transit is funded by the provincial government, the City and bus fares.