Merritt – The Province of BC, BC Transit, the City of Merritt, and the Nicola Valley Transportation Society are celebrating 10 years of transit service in Merritt.
“Public transit plays such an important role in building healthy communities and supporting the people who live within them,” said Claire Trevena, Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure. “I’m so pleased to see the transit system flourishing and growing in Merritt.”
Over the past 10 years’ ridership has increased substantially from an average 1,500 trips per month in our first year to more than 7,000 passenger trips a month in 2016/2017.
“The City of Merritt would like to acknowledge that the success of the transit system in Merritt is a result of excellent working relationships between the City, BC Transit and Nicola Valley Transportation Society,” said City of Merritt Mayor Neil Menard. “The ability of the Council to anticipate the needs of the community and approve expansions throughout the years has also been instrumental.”
The Merritt Regional Transit System offers four routes that operate Monday to Saturday from 6:15 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. The system started in November 2007 with service on Monday to Friday between 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. An expansion of service in Merritt is planned for January 2018, and more details will be available later this year.
The Merritt Regional Transit System has two buses, and will add a third bus to the fleet in January 2018 as part of the service expansion. Details are available in the media release 11 new ARBOC buses are starting to arrive in five BC Transit communities.
“I would like to congratulate the partners that have supported transit in Merritt over the past 10 years as a sustainable transportation option,” said Manuel Achadinha, BC Transit President and Chief Executive Officer. “I look forward to working collaboratively with our partners to connect people with communities in the Merritt Regional Transit System.”
The Nicola Valley Transportation Society has been the operating company providing service in Merritt for the past decade.
“It has been a pleasure for the Nicola Valley Transportation Society to provide transit services in Merritt over the past decade,” said Jan Oswald, Nicola Valley Transportation Society board member and former operations manager. “From the service launch, to the first expansion, and to the expansion coming in January, it has been exciting to see the system grow and develop.”
For more information on the Merritt Regional Transit System including routes, schedules, and fares, please visit BCTransit.com/merritt.
Media Contact
Jonathon Dyck
BC Transit
Communications Manager
media@bctransit.com
250-995-5720
