The City of Dawson Creek is considering new bus routes in an effort to fill the current midday transit gap. BC Transit presented two options at Monday’s city council meeting.
The current transit system includes north and south routes, often forcing riders to transfer when navigating longer distances. The presentation says that if transfer is needed, one-way trips can take up to 80 minutes.
In addition, the final morning trips depart at 10 a.m. and service resume at 1:20 p.m. for the Southside route and 2 p.m. for the Northside route, often creating longer delays for some riders.
Option A would introduce a single route covering most of the city, except for the northwestern area. That route would take 60 to 70 minutes to complete and would leave out an area with lower ridership.
Option B would also offer a single route with broader coverage than option A but a longer travel time. The round trip would take around 10 more minutes.
Both options would require two heavy-duty buses instead of the three medium-duty buses currently used. The city could save about $34,000 per year by making the change.
According to the presentation, 40 per cent of riders are students, meaning the change would need to be implemented before the first day of class in September. Heavy-duty buses would ensure meeting that demand.
Council was also given the option to keep the current system in place. It said it would not provide a decision Monday, as Mayor Darcy Dober was not present at the meeting. Instead, it will review each option and decide in about two weeks.