City of Penticton, B.C. asking residents to fill out survey on public transit

BC Transit and the City of Penticton, B.C., are asking for feedback from residents on how to restructure the city’s public transit system.

It’s been over 20 years since Penticton’s public transit system has undergone any major changes. From now until Feb. 12, anyone who lives in Penticton, whether they ride public transit or not, is being asked to fill out an online survey.

“Things happen over time with transit networks, and as we add new service areas and do some of those incremental things, you reach a point where all of a sudden you think, ‘OK, we might need to step back and take a broader look and see if there’s a better way to offer this service,’” explained City of Penticton’s general manager of infrastructure, Kristen Dixon.

“So, BC Transit and the City of Penticton have kicked off this larger network restructure plan to do exactly that.”

Dixon added that the number of public transit users has gone down over the last two and a half years due to the pandemic, so the city has developed two options for residents to give feedback on, in hopes it will boost ridership back to pre-pandemic levels.

“Essentially what we’re trying to do is increase legibility so you can actually read our map and know how to get from point A to B, but we’re also trying to establish a frequent transit network, making sure that we have at least one route essentially from lake to lake, that is offered in a frequency that you don’t actually have to check the schedule,” said Dixon.

“So, if it comes every 15 minutes, and you miss it, no big deal — another one is coming shortly after.”

Several residents at the Penticton bus loop on Friday say there are several changes they’d like to see.

“It suffices, it’s basic, gets you where you want to be, but it should have more opportunities for going to Naramata,” expressed transit user, Denise Clarida.

“Other than that, it’s pretty good because it comes right to my building.”

“The only real change I would make is I often find the schedules of the places are often vandalized, and it’s kind of difficult if you need to get new information if you need to change your course,” described transit user, Tucker Ferguson.

To have your say in-person, there are also several open houses available. The first open house kicks off on Wednesday, Feb. 1 from 10 a.m. until 12 p.m. at the Penticton Senior’s Drop-in Centre, then from 3 p.m. until 6 p.m. at the Cherry Lane Shopping Centre, by Save-on-Foods.

Then, on Thursday, Feb. 2 from 11:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. at the Okanagan College cafeteria, followed by 3 p.m. until 6 p.m. at the Community Centre lobby.