Bus debate heads to budget talks

Penticton Herald Staff Sunday, November 23, 2014 6:26 pm
Bigger might be better after all – at least as far as Penticton’s buses are concerned. The city’s transportation advisory committee has recommended the city replace one of the two smaller Vicinity buses with a full-size bus. One smaller bus would remain for lower volume routes. A key issue is the lack of room the 23-passenger Vicinity bus has for wheelchairs, walkers and baby strollers. In a few instances, a person with mobility aids has been unable to board a bus due to the lack of wheelchair spaces. The Vicinity bus only has room for two wheelchairs. However, any move to revert to a larger bus would come at a cost. Each Vicinity bus saves the city more than $19,000 a year in lease and fuel costs compared to the larger Nova buses. City council referred the matter to its 2015 budget discussions. The smaller buses were introduced by Penticton Transit last year, partly in response to community concerns about the larger buses being virtually empty on some routes. Coun. Katie Robinson, council’s representative on the transportation committee, said the issue generated considerable debate among committee members. “For years we were roundly criticized for the large buses that drove around town with nobody in it,” she said. Now, in view of the wheelchair concerns, a compromise solution has been proposed for the Vicinity buses. “They do have their place,” Robinson said. “We’re recommending that we integrate them by keeping one and perhaps replacing the other, if it fits the budget.” That decision will be made by the new council, to be installed Dec. 1.