Transit System: South Okanagan-Similkameen
SUMMERLAND – The Government of British Columbia, District of Summerland and BC Transit are thanking customers for making the first year of regularly-scheduled transit service an unqualified success. Penticton MLA Dan Ashton, Summerland Acting Mayor Peter Waterman and BC Transit President and CEO Manuel Achadinha handed out cookies and safety lights to customers on the first trip of the day to show appreciation for choosing public transit.
In October 2013, a local transit route was launched and improvements were made to the existing regional connector to Penticton. The local route links customers to Penticton with four round-trips daily on weekdays. The regularly scheduled service in Summerland covers key destinations including the library and Summerland Health Centre.
The new regularly-scheduled Summerland local route delivered 6,925 passenger trips between November 2013 and August 2014. With an average of 5.2 rides per hour, the local service is performing far above expectations.
“In just a year, regular scheduled transit has become an important service for Summerland residents,” said Penticton MLA Dan Ashton. “Ridership is strong and growing, showing that residents increasingly rely on the bus to get to school, health services and other community resources, as well as connecting to other centres in the region.”
“Summerland is thrilled with our new transit system,” said Summerland Mayor Janice Perrino. “Residents use it daily and we are happy to partner with BC Transit to provide this critical service for our community.”
“We are pleased to see how quickly customers in Summerland have rallied around public transit,” said BC Transit President and CEO Manuel Achadinha. “We will continue to work with our partners in Summerland to ensure transit is the efficient and effective choice for both local service and the commute to Penticton.”
For more information on transit in Summerland, please call 250.492.5814 or consult www.bctransit.com/regions/sum
Media contact:
Meribeth Burton
Corporate Spokesperson | BC Transit
d: 250.995.5720
c: 250.507.8145
media@bctransit.com
