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Bc Transit
HandyDART application gets personal, and more difficult, in Kamloops
KAMLOOPS - If you are in need of handyDART services in Kamloops, your application process just got a little more personal. The accessibility program manager for B.C. Transit, Danielle Harriott, asked council to approve a change to the application process that would have an assessor interview applicants, instead of just having applicants submit a paper...
Penticton handyDART applicants face stricter rules
PENTICTON - A new registration process for B.C. Transit handyDART users is aimed at cutting the number of handyDART riders by matching applicants to the appropriate service. Daniel Pizarro, Senior Regional Transit Manager for B.C. Transit, and Accessibility Program Manager Danielle Harriott met with Penticton city council and staff members Monday, Nov.16, to discuss the...
Proposal for 365-day public transit in Kamloops gets shot down
KAMLOOPS - The cost of adding additional statutory holidays like Christmas Day to the public transit schedule was too much for Kamloops council, who voted down a motion to offer transit every day of the year. Coun. Donovan Cavers’ motion to implement transit 365 days out of the year was defeated seven to one; Cavers...
Kamloops councillor wants transit service on holidays
KAMLOOPS – Public transit could be available on statutory holidays like Christmas Day if a Kamloops councillor has his way. Coun. Donovan Cavers submitted a motion that would see transit available on Good Friday, Easter Sunday and Christmas. Cavers says there isn’t transit service on only three days out of the year. "As 30 per...
One year after killing, why there still aren’t any cameras on Okanagan buses
KAMLOOPS HAS 25 KELOWNA – One year after the horrific killing of a Kelowna man on a B.C. Transit bus and six months after they promised to begin installing them, there still isn’t a single operational camera on any Kelowna buses. Last year, on Oct. 30, Caesar Rosales was killed in front of more than...
UPDATE: Kamloops bus driver sent to hospital after assaulted by passenger
KAMLOOPS - A B.C. Transit bus driver was assaulted yesterday afternoon after being confronted by an irate passenger. B.C. Transit spokesperson Mike Russell, says an individual on the bus became agitated around 3 p.m. yesterday, Oct. 27. The driver pulled the bus over at Fourth Avenue and Lansdowne Street and called the transit operator for...
UBCO students to vote on fate of low-cost transit program
KELOWNA - The fate of the U-Pass transit program at a local university is in the hands of the students, who will vote over a fare increase next week. Students at the Okanagan campus of the University of British Columbia are holding a referendum over a fare increase for the program next week, which if...
Kamloops not alone in opposition to provincial transit funding freeze
KAMLOOPS – Kamloops and dozens of other municipalities are asking the provincial government to reconsider its freeze on transit funding. The city has a resolution at the annual Union of B.C. Municipalities convention, which got underway today in Vancouver, asking the delegates to strongly urge the Premier, the Minister of Transportation and the Minister of...
West Kelowna mom says B.C. Transit is preventing her from filing complaint
KELOWNA – A local mother says B.C. Transit has brushed aside her complaints one of their drivers verbally abused her and another was driving dangerously. Carrie Watson, 43, had just left an event at the Parkinson Recreation Centre with her five-year-old daughter the evening of Aug. 29. They boarded the 97 bus headed downtown where...
Crush of students puts the pressure on Kelowna Transit
KELOWNA - They’re not yellow but considering how many students they carry, regular transit buses could almost be considered school buses. Jerry Dombowsky, the City of Kelowna’s regional programs manager with responsiblity for transit, says moving students is a big part of what Kelowna Regional Transit does. "Students of all ages make up a significant...
Bus fares for everyone will soon be $2.00
KAMLOOPS – The cost of riding the bus in Kamloops will soon be the same for everyone. As of Sept. 1, bus fares will be $2.00 for children, students, seniors and adults. Back in December of 2014, city council directed staff to research the effects on ridership if fares were to increase, decrease, stay the...
Kelowna transit service costs to rise next year
CENTRAL OKANAGAN - The cost of providing transit in Kelowna could jump next year, the result of increased service and increased costs. Conventional transit will cost 7.7 per cent more in the 2015/16 annual operating agreement with B.C. Transit and the Kelowna Regional Transit System. That represents a $700,000 increase from last year, largely due...
Queensway transit exchange reopens in Kelowna
KELOWNA - Transit users in Kelowna will soon be using the upgraded Queensway transit exchange when it reopens on Sunday. Built as an all-weather facility, the Queensway transit exchange will cover the centre island of the old bus loop, giving riders shelter from the elements and increased security. Pedestrian crossings around the exchange have also...
Transit fare increases to drive council discussion
KAMLOOPS - The challenge of transit service costing the city more money than it makes is no different in Kamloops than it is in any other city in the province and this week city council will discuss a possible fare increase to help offset the cost of the service. Similar to other urban amenities like,...
Regional District looks at transit future in South Okanagan
PENTICTON - The future of transit in the South Okanagan and Similkameen includes more connections to Kelowna and increased ridership. B.C. Transit staff have been busy meeting with local politicians across the province about the developing Regional Tranist Future Plan and made a stop in Penticton on April 2 to update Okanagan Similkameen Regional District...
Now the wheels on the bus go round and round Okanagan Falls
PENTICTON - Two new transit routes will provide service to residents surrounding Skaha Lake. Beginning next Monday, Jan. 19, inaugural service on Route 20 will begin with five round trips per day from Okanagan Falls to Penticton. Stops will also be made at Skaha Estates and Heritage Hills, with the regional run terminating at Cherry...
Free transit worth the cost?
COUNCIL WORKSHOP TO DISCUSS OPTIONS KAMLOOPS - Transit is a topic that gets a lot of discussion around the table at City Hall, and rightfully so. Taxpayers subsidize a portion of the public transportation and council plans to again explore whether any form of free transit can be offered and how much is too much...
Free bus rides on election day
PENTICTON - The City and Transit B.C. are offering free bus rides on voting day to encourage Penticton residents to come out and vote, free of charge. All regular route buses and HandyDart rides will be free for passengers heading to the polls on Saturday, Nov. 15. The General Election will be held at the...
UPDATE: Man charged with Kelowna bus killing appears in court
KELOWNA – The Kelowna man charged with second degree murder in connection with the stabbing death of a passenger on a B.C. Transit bus appeared in Kelowna provincial court and has been remanded in custody. Tyler Jack Newton, 23, went before a judge Monday morning. Newton spent the weekend in jail following his arrest Friday...
Take the bus to your Canada Day activities, for free
KAMLOOPS - The City of Kamloops is offering free transit on the bus for Canada Day. Riverside Park is the place to be for festivities; parking may be limited. Those who wish to take the bus are advised transit is operating on a Saturday schedule for the holiday. For spectators hoping to catch the evening...
South Okanagan transit gets new transfer policy
PENTICTON - B.C. Transit has a new policy restricting transfers between the Summerland and Naramata bus systems. Penticton, Summerland and Naramata will have colour-coded transfer tickets to help the process, which begins Monday May 19. Penticton (blue tickets) will accept transfers from Penticton, Summerland and Naramata systems. Summerland (white tickets) and will accept transfers from...