Wednesday, May 11, 2016

Vernon Transit Expanding

Posted on 5/11/2016 6:54 AM by Pete McIntyre 107.5 KISSFM
Vernon council has given preliminary support to expanding the transit system over the next few years. One of the initiatives is to develop a Core Transit Network which would include frequent service between the downtown and Village Green Centre by 2018. Councillor Catherine Lord feels that will increase ridership, even though the cost per rider has gone from 73 cents, to three dollars since 2006. "I kind of threw that out there but don't forget your looking at almost ten years from 2006 to now and so when you look at that and the price of gas going up and labor going up, it's not that huge." Councillor Scott Anderson says the city has been building the system for years, but the ridership hasn't increased much. "Everybody says they will use buses, everybody thinks it's a great idea for other people to use but then you look at the buses and nobody's on them." Anderson is not convinced the buses will ever be full. "I think honestly if we had buses than ran every ten minutes then it would work, but then you look at the cost benefit analysis." The most recent survey showed about 70 percent of residents use their vehicles to get around, with 1.7 percent using transit. The local bus system had 440,000 passenger rides last year, and had a a net municipal cost of $1.3 million.
=============
Actual Resolutions Passed (4-3) at Mondays Meeting
3 YEAR EXPANSION INITIATIVES — VERNON TRANSIT SYSTEM (P. 105)
(ii) THAT Council authorize in principle, the addition of 7,000 transit hours for the initial stage of the Core Transit Network (CTN) implementation in March 2018;
AND FURTHER, that Council authorize in principle, the addition of 3,500 transit hours for the second stage of the Core Transit Network (CTN) implementation in September 2018;
AND FURTHER, that Council authorize in principle, Administration to revise transit fares to coincide with the
March, 2018 implementation of the Core Transit Network (CTN) transit expansion to reflect the current costs of operating the transit service;
AND FURTHER, that Council authorize in principle, Administration to redefine the cost percentage participation with the District of Coldstream to coincide with the new system proportions based on revenue hours upon implementation of the various transit expansions;
AND FURTHER, that Council authorize in principle, the increase in operating expenditures beyond the standard 1.8% operating increase for transit services in 2018;
AND FURTHER, that Council authorize Administration to execute the Expansion Memorandum of Understanding
dated April 18, 2016, from BC Transit as attached to the report titled "3 Year Expansion Initiatives — Vernon Transit System", dated April 25, 2016 as submitted by the Director of Financial Services.
=========
P.114 Council Agenda package

P.110 Council Agenda 

P 147 Financial Plan

P.149 Financial Plan



No comments: