In just under three weeks, Canmore residents and visitors will be able to get around their community via transit bus and try the new service for free.
Roam Route 5 officially launches Nov. 1 at noon with transit service to various neighbourhoods in the community. Said Valley Regional Transit Commission chair Sean Krausert, the excitement is building for the new local route service that will provide a single route that loops through Canmore, connecting the downtown core, Cougar Creek, Elk Run, Bow Valley Trail and Three Sisters.
An alternate weekend route will also include the Canmore Nordic Centre and Kananaskis Way.
The two buses ordered by the Bow Valley Regional Transit Commission to service the Canmore local route have arrived and been wrapped (artwork applied).
The local transit service has been budgeted $250,000 in 2016 to get started and when not in use, buses will be stored at the municipal compound in Elk Run that used to be the recycling depot.
Construction is underway on bus stops at various locations throughout Canmore, although permanent structures are not yet approved for installation. Staff at the municipality indicated they want to review the route after it has been operational to determine if stops are in the right location before installing anything more permanent.
The money budgeted for the transit service has also allowed Canmore council to offer bus rides for free in 2016 to help residents explore it as a transportation option. It also, however, means a significant operational budget increase for council to include in its 2017 budget process, beginning soon.
At its most recent finance committee meeting, Chief Administrative Officer Lisa de Soto told council administration expects transit costs to form the majority of increased operational costs next year. Council has set a limit for the operational budget to stay within a 4.5 per cent increase.
“Administration has had the opportunity to already look at draft one of the budgets, so we are going to be very challenged with bringing it in under the 4.5 per cent increase,” de Soto said. “As you recall, transit is a priority of council and since council has already given direction to proceed with local transit, the lion’s share of the cost comes in year two.”
Meanwhile, the transit commission continues to work on future regional initiatives. A report to council detailed that a consultant has been hired to prepare an implementation and service design plan for a new regional service between Banff and Lake Louise.
Regional transit between Canmore and Banff continues to be a success ,with ridership up in 2016 so far. From Jan. 1 to the end of August there were 302,150 riders on the regional route, an increase of 28,465 from the year before during the same period.
Go to www.roamtransit.com for more details about the route and schedules.
