Possible bus route changes

A petition has been created to make it easier for Vernon residents to access Kelowna’s downtown through BC Transit.

Fraser Young recently started taking transit to commute to work in downtown Kelowna. He says that the current system makes it difficult for Vernon residents to get to work before 9 a.m.

“I was just blown away,” said Young about the transit situation between Vernon and Kelowna.

Route 90 to UBCO starts service from the Vernon bus depot at 7 a.m. on weekdays. It runs hourly until noon and then runs at certain times until its last departure at 7 p.m.

Young noted that the early departures for Route 90 are always “plum full.” This can make it harder for people to get comfortable during the one-hour ride.

“I don't really want to stand on a bus for an hour on the highway,” said Young.

“It's just not very comfortable.”

Young wants to see Route 90 merge with Route 97, which runs through Kelowna. The petition says that the merging of routes would "allow residents to commute using a single bus directly from Greater Vernon starting at 5 a.m. with buses running every 15-20 minutes to downtown Kelowna or West Kelowna."

Route 97 Okanagan starts service at the Westbank Exchange Centre at 6:10 a.m. and has departures at least every 30 minutes until 1 a.m. the next day. This route goes along Highway 97 and stops in downtown Kelowna before completing its route in West Kelowna.

Young told Castanet he has talked to transportation managers in cities around the Okanagan. He has also contacted the Board of Directors at the RDNO to try to make this change a reality

A link to the petition can be found here.