Big changes are coming down the pike for BC Transit riders from Rossland to Trail and out in the Beaver Valley.
Before routes are streamlined, extended or stopped all together, the public is encouraged to partake in a Transit Service Review of the Greater Trail bus system - by attending open houses and filling out a customer survey.
Sessions will be hosted locally next week in partnership with the Regional District Kootenay Boundary, City of Trail, Village of Fruitvale, the City of Rossland, the Village of Montrose and the Village of Warfield.
This next phase narrows service change proposals into a handful of key areas, following a previous online and onboard customer survey, an operator survey, stakeholder workshops and various ride checks.
First up, is what to do with the downtown Trail Transit Terminal on Cedar Avenue and Spokane Street. A 2015 service review bumped up the matter to a priority - now riders will be asked whether they agree with improving the current site or moving it elsewhere.
Besides the main exchange, the ridership will be asked about changing certain routes and runs, such as re-directing the 43 Glenmerry to Fruitvale through East Trail and the best time to add another trip with resource reallocation.
Other suggestions include extending transit service to the north side of Highway 3 in Fruitvale, adding trips to the Route 98 Columbia Connector, more highway stops on the Teck run, and expanding regular service to the Red Mountain neighbourhood.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, low ridership could mean the end for several routes. Those include runs to Tadanac (Route 47), the Red Mountain Ski Bus (Route 48), Friday night service, and cutting trips to Sunningdale then reallocating resources to downtown Trail and the regional hospital.
The public is encouraged to provide feedback through an online survey on the BC Transit website, or face-to-face with transit staff beginning May 31, 11:30 a.m. until 1 p.m. at the Waneta Plaza bus stop, or at the Fruitvale Memorial Hall from 2 p.m. until 4 p.m.
On June 1, BC Transit will be at the downtown Trail exchange (Cedar Avenue and Spokane Street) from 8 a.m. until 11 a.m., then again from 2:30 p.m. until 3:30 p.m. An open house will be in Rossland that day as well, from noon until 2 p.m. at the Rossland Public Library.
For more information, visit bctransit.com or call 1.855.993.3100.