FORT ST. JOHN -- B.C. Transit in partnership with the City of Fort St. John just released a survey to get input on the transit system in the city.
The survey will help inform a Transit Future Service Plan that will guide transit decisions for the next five years. The plan is currently in development.
B.C. Transit says they will be asking for the public’s input on a variety of proposed service changes. The transit company says several major changes are being proposed for the Fort St. John Transit system in the coming years that may impact how residents use transit. It ranges from changes to service, routes, infrastructure and the overall network.
In a statement to CJDC TV, B.C. Transit said that there are proposals for a full transit system network restructure, which would impact all routes in Fort St. John. Currently, all routes in the city meet at the North Peace Cultural Centre exchange at the same time, then depart at the same time before returning. This is a pulse-based system. As Fort St. John continues to grow, the transit company says they may switch to a timed transfer-based system as having a pulse-based system becomes challenging, because any change to a route requires changes to all other routes to compensate.
B.C. Transit says the timed transfer-based system means not every bus may meet up with every other bus, but there are timed transfers to allow people to make transfers. This would mean the transit company can serve new areas and make changes to routes we wouldn’t be able to under the current system.
B.C. Transit is also looking to introduce service to Charlie Lake and Taylor and add weekend, early morning and late evening service.
The proposals may be subject to change based on the survey’s feedback. The timeline for implementation of any proposal is subject to approval from the City of Fort St. John’s Council and the availability of funding and resources from all funding partners.
The survey consists of 30 questions. It is available online now and will close on September 25.
