Kelowna Regional Transit System

Kelowna Regional Transit System
8 University bus at Orchard Park Bus Exchange
Founded1977
Headquarters1494 Hardy Street
Kelowna, British Columbia
V1Y 8H2
Service areaCentral Okanagan
Service typeBus service, paratransit
AllianceBC Transit
Routes30
Stops968
OperatorTransdev[1]
Websitewww.bctransit.com/kelowna

Kelowna Regional Transit System is operated by Transdev, providing public bus transportation services in part of the central Okanagan Valley of British Columbia, Canada.[2] Funding for the transit system is shared between the City of Kelowna, Regional District of Central Okanagan, District of Lake Country, City of West Kelowna, Westbank First Nation and BC Transit,[2] while the planning and routing decisions are primarily made by Kelowna City Council.[3] Kelowna Regional Transit was one of the first public transit systems in Canada to have double-decker buses, and the first in Canada to have hybrid buses on regular routes.[4] The hybrid and double deckers buses have since been relocated to Victoria.

Services

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Bus routes

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There are 29 regularly scheduled routes and a BRT service called RapidBus, connecting Westbank Centre Exchange, downtown Queensway Transit Exchange and UBC Okanagan Exchange.[5] Also, there is one route operated by Vernon Regional Transit and one route operated by South Okanagan-Similkameen Transit System[6] within Kelowna Regional Transit's operational area.

No. Name Areas Served Notes
1 Lakeshore Kelowna
2 North End Shuttle Kelowna
3 Dilworth Mt. Kelowna
4 Pandosy Express Kelowna Weekday rush hours, September to June only
5 Gordon Kelowna
6 Glenmore/UBCO Express Kelowna
8 University/College Kelowna
9 Shopper Shuttle Kelowna
10 North Rutland Kelowna
11 Rutland Kelowna
12 McCulloch Kelowna Community Shuttle Route, Limited service to Orchard Park Mall (Exchange)
13 Quail Ridge Kelowna Weekdays, mornings and afternoons only
14 Black Mountain Kelowna Community Shuttle Route, Limited service to Orchard Park Mall (Exchange)
15 Crawford Kelowna Community Shuttle Route
16 Kettle Valley Mission
17 South Ridge Mission
18 Glenmore/Downtown Kelowna
19 Glenmore/Orchard Park Kelowna
20 Lakeview West Kelowna
21 Glenrosa West Kelowna
22 Peachland Peachland Community Shuttle Route
23 Lake Country Lake Country Service to Kelowna International Airport
2 morning southbound Ellison trips (via Old Vernon Road), and 2 afternoon northbound trips.
24 Shannon Ridge West Kelowna
25 East Boundary West Kelowna Community Shuttle Route
26 Old Okanagan West Kelowna Community Shuttle Route
28 Shannon Lake West Kelowna Community Shuttle Route, weekdays only
29 Bear Creek West Kelowna Community Shuttle Route, weekdays only
32 The Lakes Lake Country Community Shuttle Route, Weekdays only
70 Kelowna /Penticton Penticton Interregional connector operated by South Okanagan-Similkameen Regional Transit System. Weekdays only, four times daily. Requires its own standalone fare. Passes and transfers from both the South Okanagan-Similkameen Regional Transit System and Kelowna Regional Transit System are not accepted.
84 Academy Way Kelowna
88 Special Kelowna September to June; School Days only.
90 UBCO/Vernon Vernon Interregional express route operated by Vernon Regional. Kelowna Regional Transit System fares are accepted on Route 90, but are not valid within the Vernon Regional Transit System.
97 Okanagan Kelowna/West Kelowna Bus rapid transit service[7]
98 Rutland/UBCO Kelowna

RapidBus

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Main article: 97X Kelowna RapidBus

97 Okanagan is rapid bus transit operated by Kelowna Regional Transit System since September 2010. RapidBus expanded its service to West Kelowna on September 2, 2012. Digital screens with real-time schedule information installed at all stops.[8]

97 Okanagan connects West Kelowna, downtown Kelowna and UBC Okanagan via HOV lanes on Highway 97 with traffic signal priority with limited stops to provide fast and direct service.

UBCO/Vernon

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90 UBCO/Vernon is an interregional route connecting UBC Okanagan and downtown Vernon. This route is operated by Vernon Regional Transit, but Kelowna Regional Transit System fare applies for travel within Kelowna Regional Transit's operational area. Kelowna Regional Transit passes and transfers are also valid between UBC Okanagan and Oyama.[9]

Penticton

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70 Penticton/Kelowna is an interregional route connecting the South Okanagan to downtown West Kelowna and Kelowna. Northbound buses drop only in West Kelowna (no pickups), and pick up only in downtown Kelowna and West Kelowna on the southbound leg. Fares are separate from Kelowna Regional fares. Operated by Berry & Smith (South Okanagan contractor)[10]

Paratransit

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HandyDART is a dial-a-ride service for people with a disability that is sufficiently severe that they are unable to use regular transit buses without assistance. Clients must be pre-registered to make use of this service.

Bicycle carriers

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All buses are equipped with bicycle carriers, capable of holding two bikes at a time.[11] Carriers cannot hold tandem or motor-powered bikes. Also, the length of handle bars must be shorter than 69 cm.[11] Bicycles are not allowed on community shuttles before dawn or after sunset, because they would block the headlights.

Proposed changes/improvements

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Potential transit routing changes

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No. Name Area Notes
1 Lakeshore/Downtown
Mission/Downtown		 Kelowna This route will strictly run down Pandosy and Lakeshore and no longer serve Okanagan College, however, this route will only be a short walk away. Furthermore, the 5 Gordon Drive can take the place of the 1 Lakeshore. The route will terminate at the H2O/Capital News Centre.
4 Express
Pandosy/UBCO		 Kelowna This route will still serve Okanagan College to make up for the loss of the direct #1 service.
6 Glenmore/UBCO
Downtown/UBCO		 Kelowna When John Hindle Drive is extended to UBCO, this route will likely be combined with the 7 Glenmore to provide all-day service to UBCO.
7 Glenmore
Downtown/Orchard Park		 Kelowna When John Hindle Drive is extended to UBCO, this route will likely be combined with the 6 Glenmore to provide all-day service to UBCO.
8 University/OK College
OC/UBCO		 Kelowna This route will run to Okanagan College and route through Campus East Route to avoid duplication of Gordon Drive with the 5 Gordon Drive and also provide two-way service on Ethel..
11 Rutland
Downtown/Rutland		 Kelowna This route will de diverted to Kelowna General Hospital via Springfield, Ethel, and Rose and then head to Queensway Exchange (downtown). The new #2 routing and 97 RapidBus stations at Gordon Drive and Parkinson will make up for this loss of service on Sutherland Avenue.
22 Peachland Peachland Establish a park and ride in Peachland to serve residents not located directly adjacent to the route.
90 North Okanagan Connector-Vernon Vernon Bus will no longer exit the highway to serve Oyama since statistic show few boardings in that area. Instead, it is proposed that a park and ride be established in Lake Country instead to serve these residents.

Future infrastructure

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Over $50 million is being invested in Phases 2 and 3 of RapidBus in 2013 and 2014 with infrastructure being completed in West Kelowna and Kelowna.

Rutland Exchange

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The Rutland Exchange is located just north of Highway 33 and between Asher and Dougall Roads. It is a small part of the grand Rutland Town Centre Plan.

Phase 1 of the exchange was completed in September 2013 and currently only the #14 Black Mountain services it. To have routes 8 and 10 service the exchange at this time would be cumbersome and unnecessary.

The future plan, pending negotiations with he Rutland Centennial Park Society, is to extend the exchange and its road, through the park to Rutland Road to allow easy left and right turns onto Rutland Road. At this time, the 8 University, 10 North Rutland, and a potential East Rutland route will be able to service it.

RapidBus stations

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New stations have been constructed on Highway 97 at Gordon Drive, Richter Street, and Butt Road. They are a level-boarding design, similar to the 8 other currently existing stations. With the announcement of the six-laning of Highway 97 from Highway 33 to Edwards Road and the reconfiguration of the Old Vernon/Sexsmith Intersection, a RapidBus Station may be constructed as well as part of the design.

Westbank Exchange

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The new exchange will be built on Elliott Road with saw-toothed bays as part of a larger Westbank Town Centre revitalization. This will move the exchange off of the busy Highway 97 couplet and make way for a potential elimination of the couplet altogether through the Westbank Town Centre.

Boucherie Exchange

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This exchange will replace Stevens Exchange and will be located in the vicinity of Bartley Road and Highway 97. More precisely, it will be located in the field next to the Super 8 on Westgate Road, and will include a Park n' Ride facility. Eastbound buses will pull in directly off the highway (similar to the RapidBus stations in Kelowna) and Westbound buses will route along Westgate Road to a similar RapidBus station. At implementation, the select few 97 Express trips along Ross and Cameron will likely stay on Highway 97 to make for routing reliability.

Queensway Exchange

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When Queensway Exchange was built in 1998, underground utilities were installed for the construction of a future building on the transit island. The vision is to build a building down the middle which can include waiting areas, a security office, and perhaps a coffee shop. The new $5.6 million Queensway transit exchange opened on April 26, 2015, and includes an all-weather wood structure above the existing transit island platform.

Fares

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Kelowna Regional Transit System is operated under a single zone system within the Regional District of Central Okanagan. A transfer slip is issued upon request, which allows unlimited travel on the system for up to 90 minutes from the time of fare payment.[12]

References

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  1. ^ Operating Company Contact Information
  2. ^ a b Central Okanagan i-go, Transit
  3. ^ Transit - City of Kelowna
  4. ^ "BC Transit: Who We Are Today". Archived from the original on 2011-07-06. Retrieved 2010-09-13.
  5. ^ Schedules and Maps
  6. ^ Jules Knox (August 19, 2019). "New BC Transit bus route to travel Kelowna, Summerland, Penticton". Global News.
  7. ^ Introducing RapidBus
  8. ^ "RapidBus Service Highlights Kelowna Transit Expansion". Archived from the original on 2012-03-05. Retrieved 2010-11-08.
  9. ^ "Fares".
  10. ^ "BC Transit - Fares - South Okanagan-Similkameen".
  11. ^ a b "Bike Racks | Rider Info | BC Transit".
  12. ^ "Kelowna Regional Transit System - Fares". BC Transit. Retrieved 12 April 2018.
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