With the first phase of a proposed transit service expansion going ahead, the Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) has turned its attention to the 2018 memorandum of understanding with BC Transit and to pushing the province to change the way BC Transit funding is rolled out.
Under the joint SCRD-BC Transit “Transit Future Plan,” the next priority for expansion is to double the current service level to Halfmoon Bay, a move that would require the purchase of three more buses and add about $164,000 to the SCRD’s annual transit costs. BC Transit needs to know if SCRD wants to go ahead with that change in September 2018, so it can put together a budget request for the province.
In a report to the June 22 corporate and administrative services committee meeting, transit and fleet manager Gord Dykstra said, “Initiating the proposed improvements in 2018 may be an earlier start than is necessary. Current ridership on the Halfmoon Bay service is limited outside of peak periods. Service pressure appears to be on the 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. trips, and at service gaps where buses are not running. Improving service where pressures are present may be better than making a single significant increase. If such improvements increase ridership, this would demonstrate support for further improvements and also slightly temper the cost of a future increase to hourly service levels.”
Dykstra’s recommendation was that the SCRD stick with the current service expansion, which comes into effect Sept. 5, and hold off on increased service to Halfmoon Bay to “permit time to consult with users and residents, assess potential demand for service and more thoroughly understand potential costs and the impact of additional equipment at the Mason Road facility.”
SCRD directors are also waiting for a report on how transit costs are apportioned between the jurisdictions, which could lead to changes.
The recommendation on Halfmoon Bay was approved unanimously and endorsed by the SCRD board, with the discussion mainly around how to go about consulting with users.
Halfmoon Bay director and SCRD chair Garry Nohr suggested reaching out beyond bus riders with a direct mail campaign targeting households on the bus routes. Lorne Lewis of Elphinstone had a similar thought.
“It’s important to get the opinion of those who aren’t using the bus system,” Lewis said, repeating an anecdote about the demise of the Eaton’s department store chain. “They always surveyed the people who came to the store who said they were doing a great job, but they didn’t survey the people who didn’t come to the store to find out why they weren’t coming. As a result, they went broke.”
On the issue of how BC Transit funding is rolled out, the SCRD board voted to present a resolution at the upcoming Union of BC Municipalities AGM to “urge the provincial government to provide a rolling three-year funding commitment to BC Transit in order to provide and secure longer term funding assurances necessary for local governments to adequately budget and plan for transit expansion beyond the current year.”
The Sept. 5 service expansion includes express service every 30 minutes on Route 90 during the morning and afternoon peak periods and hourly service on Route 1, from 5 a.m. to midnight. The cost to the SCRD is estimated at $155,000 this year and $466,000 per year going forward.
