It just got easier for people living in Cochrane to get around.
On Monday, the Town of Cochrane launched COLT (Cochrane On Demand Local Transit). The app-based transit service will see riders use an app to request a trip up to a week in advance or just minutes before they need a ride. Then they will catch the bus at one of the town’s 152 bus stops.
“You will get a text message when the bus is on its way,” said Devin LaFleche, a transit co-ordinator with the Town of Cochrane. “You will get a text message when the bus has arrived.
“You can actually monitor where the bus is on the route and you will get a live ETA on the bus arrival.”
The service will cost the town just over $550,000 a year, which is half the price of operating a fixed-route bus service.
Cochrane’s mayor said it’s all about keeping up with the town’s population, which has nearly doubled to 30,000 in the past 10 years, and making it a more attractive place to move to.
For now, COLT buses will only run in Cochrane but by mid-2020, the plan is to expand the service to connect with Calgary LRT stations, the University of Calgary and SAIT by integrating with the On-It regional bus service.
Rides are free until the end of the year. Beginning Jan. 1, 2020, it will cost $2.50 for a single one-way ticket. Users can get the Ride COLT app or use the BOOK A RIDE button on ridecolt.ca or call 403-851-5995.
The town has contracted Southland Transportation to staff and manage the COLT system.
Shea Schultz used to walk to work from her Cochrane home or take a cab but the cost was adding up. On Monday morning, she was one of the first people in town to ride one of the new 21-seat buses.
“I really liked it,” Schultz said. “It’s so much easier than having to walk or bike, especially when it’s going to snow soon — it’s more convenient.”
Calgary started a similar service in the northern suburbs of Carrington and Livingston this summer. It now gets around 100 riders per weekday.
Calgary Transit will evaluate the numbers from the pilot project before deciding if it will be expanded to other neighbourhoods.
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