Transit Future in Kelowna

Project Update – July 2023

The Rutland Local Area Transit Plan has been completed. This document was outlined in the Central Okanagan Transit Future Action Plan and includes major strategic service and infrastructure priorities to be implemented over the next one to five years and beyond. You can find the report in the Completed Plans page.

Project Update – May 2023

The Mission Network Restructure Study has been completed. This document was outlined in the Central Okanagan Transit Future Action Plan and includes a new route design for service in the Mission neighbourhood. You can find the report in the Completed Plans page.

Project Update - June 2022

The  Lake Country Local Area Transit Plan has been completed and adopted by council. This document was an outcome from the Central Okanagan Transit Future Action Plan, and includes short, medium and long term transit service and infrastructure improvements to support improving service in the district. Please refer to the Completed Plans page to view the Local Area Transit Plan.

Project Update – August 2020

The Central Okanagan Transit Future Plan was completed in 2018. This document will guide the future of transit in the region. Please refer to the Completed Plans page to view the Transit Future Plan.

Project Update - November 2017

The second phase of public engagement for the Central Okanagan Transit Future Action Plan is now complete. In collaboration with local partners, BC Transit hosted 9 open houses throughout the region. The events in Peachland, Ellison, Lake Country, and the City of Kelowna took place in March 2017; events in West Kelowna took place in August 2017. The open houses drew a combined attendance of over 300 people. Two separate online surveys accompanied the open houses, drawing over 900 responses in total.

BC Transit wishes to thank all those who participated in this process. The report on this second phase of public engagement is now available here . The full Central Okanagan Transit Future Action Plan is expected to be complete in the spring of 2018.

Public Engagement - October 2017

Glenmore Area Transit Service

We Want To Hear From You!

The City of Kelowna and BC Transit are exploring options for improving transit service in the Glenmore area. The completion of the John Hindle Drive extension in the spring of 2018 will connect Highway 97 to Glenmore Road at the UBC Okanagan Campus, providing alternate routing options for transit services.

Building on the work completed in the 2012 Central Okanagan Transit Future Plan and the 2017 Transit Future Action Plan, we are seeking feedback from the community to finalize changes to the transit network to align with the future John Hindle Drive extension. It is anticipated that these changes would be introduced in September 2018.

This October, we will be hosting four open house events and conducting an online survey to gather feedback about the proposed changes to the Glenmore service.

Please Join Us!

Date Time Location Address
October 25 11:00 am – 2:00 pm UBC Okanagan (1st Floor - University Centre) 3333 University Way
October 25 3:30 pm – 6:30 pm Kane Road IGA 1940 Kane Road
October 26 11:00 am – 2:00 pm Okanagan College (Centre for Learning Atrium) 1000 KLO Road
October 26 3:30 pm – 6:30 pm Orchard Park Shopping Centre (near North entrance) 2271 Harvey Ave.

In addition to the open houses, all community members are invited to provide feedback through an online survey. The survey will be available from October 23 to November 6.

Project Update - September 2017

As part of the Central Okanagan Transit Future Action Plan, BC Transit, in collaboration with local partners, hosted two open house events in West Kelowna in August 2017. These events were part of the second phase of consultation for the Transit Future Action Plan, and aimed to identify service options and expansion priorities for the community of West Kelowna. The first phase of consultation in March 2017 focused on transit service priorities for the City of Kelowna, Lake Country, Ellison, and Peachland areas.

Over 70 people attended the West Kelowna open houses and over 300 people have responded to the corresponding online survey. Thank you to all those who participated.

We will publish the findings from this phase of consultation in an upcoming report that will help inform future transit planning decisions affecting West Kelowna.

 

Transit Future Action Plan in Kelowna

In 2012, the Central Okanagan Transit Future Plan was completed. This plan provided a vision of the region’s transit network over the next 25 years. Since the adoption of that plan, many of the projects identified have now been accomplished, including:

  • The introduction of the 97 Okanagan RapidBus and subsequent local service integration
  • The introduction of new Frequent and Local routes throughout the region
  • Improvement to the service frequencies on Local and Frequent Routes
  • Introduction of significant infrastructure improvements throughout the region

Since many of the projects identified in the 2012 plan are now complete, it is important that the project priorities be updated to continue to guide decision-making over the next one to five years and beyond.
The purpose of the Central Okanagan Transit Future Action Plan is to update transit service infrastructure recommendations for the entire region to continue to grow the transit system in the Kelowna region.

Why do we need Transit Future?

This Transit Future will plan guide transit investment that is supportive of livable communities, through:

  • Identifying short-term projects (one to five years) to assist local partners in developing local capital and operating budgets
  • Supporting local community goals and objectives, such as strengthening the link between transportation and land-use in order to support sustainable growth
  • Develop Service Standards and Performance Guidelines which will assist in future decision-making processes  
  • Meeting climate change goals
  • Making it easy to access everyday services on foot, by bike and by transit

Help us Plan Your Future

The development of this transit plan will be highly collaborative and include all of the local partners, transit system staff, the public and representatives from a wide array of stakeholder organizations. The engagement process will be designed to be inclusive, reaching riders and non-riders alike including surveys, public open houses and stakeholder meetings. The engagement plan will combine both BC Transit and local partner engagement strategies to develop and implement appropriate, meaningful, timely and effective public engagement that follows the International Association for Public Participation (IAP2) guidelines.


How do I get involved?

Kelowna Transit Future Flowchart - image

All stages of the creation and implementation of a this Transit Future Action Plan provide opportunities to get involved. A customer survey is planned for April 2016 and public consultation is planned for the summer 2016. Check back here often for information on how to share your input!

If you have further questions or comments, please contact us at Planning2@BCTransit.com


Moving Forward with Technology

BC Transit is committed to continuously enhancing your experience as a rider. As part of this endeavour, we are moving forward with the installation and development of technology initiatives to improve efficiency, increase security and put you in control of your BC Transit experience.

Central Okanagan Transit Future Plan

A Transit Future Plan envisions what a community's transit network should look like 25 years from now, as projected and described by you. Beginning by looking at how the existing transit system could be improved, the Plan describes and prioritizes the

Completed Plans

Transit Future looks at how you can improve your transit system to better meet the needs of your community now and for the generation to come. Here are the plans that have been completed in the region.