Vernon Matters file photo

By Liam Verster

New Route, Extra Hours

Local bus services set to increase next fall

Sep 28, 2023 | 6:00 AM

Vernon and Coldstream residents will have access to a new bus service in the latter half of 2024, and the other routes will also be bolstered.

A bus route is being established to provide public transit between downtown Vernon and Middleton Mountain.

At the regular council meeting Monday, Sept. 25, a Three Year Transit Expansion Initiatives Memorandum of Understanding was presented as part of the matters referred from the committee of the whole.

The report outlined the plan to establish a new local transit network, Route 10 – Middleton Mountain.

The route, outlined in the Vernon Regional Transit System’s Service Priorities 2022-2025, would go from the downtown Vernon bus exchange, down Highway 6, onto Middleton Way, up into the Middleton Mountain neighbourhood, then to Okanagan College via Husband Road and College Way. The bus would follow the same route in reverse when heading back into Vernon.

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The proposed Middleton Mountain bus route (image courtesy of the City of Vernon)

The cost to operate the route would be $210,684, with the city of Vernon covering $103,066.61 of that and the District of Coldstream covering the difference.

The report also stated it would cost $29,803 to run the route on statutory holidays, and that Vernon would cover $27,529.03 of that cost with Coldstream covering the rest.

Vernon Council was asked to authorize, in principle, the addition of 3,160 conventional transit service hours per year for the new Middle Mountain route and additional statutory holiday service at the above costs.

Additionally, the report requested council authorize, in principle, adding 780 custom transit service hours per year to provide Sunday and statutory holiday service to the other existing nine bus routes.

The expanded service on Sundays and Stats would cost $36,191, of which Vernon would pay $28,880.42 and the rest would be covered by Coldstream.

Council voted unanimously in favour of supporting, in principle, the new route and additional hours.

As per the recommendations of the report, Vernon City Council also direct staff sign the Three Year Transit Expansion Initiatives Memorandum of Understanding for the addition of the hours and service, subject to funding approvals from B.C. Transit and the District of Coldstream.

If all funding is approved, the new Middleton Mountain route and the expanded Sunday and statutory holiday services will come into effect in September of 2024.