Kelowna Regional Transit System is operated by Transdev, providing public bus transportation services in part of the central Okanagan Valley of British Columbia, Canada.[2] Funding for the transit system is shared between the City of Kelowna, Regional District of Central Okanagan, District of Lake Country, City of West Kelowna, Westbank First Nation and BC Transit,[2] while the planning and routing decisions are primarily made by Kelowna City Council.[3] Kelowna Regional Transit was one of the first public transit systems in Canada to have double-decker buses, and the first in Canada to have hybrid buses on regular routes.[4] The hybrid and double deckers buses have since been relocated to Victoria.
 | |
 8 University bus at Orchard Park Bus Exchange | |
| Founded | 1977 |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | 1494 Hardy Street Kelowna, British Columbia V1Y 8H2 |
| Service area | Central Okanagan |
| Service type | Bus service, paratransit |
| Alliance | BC Transit |
| Routes | 30 |
| Stops | 968 |
| Operator | Transdev[1] |
| Website | www |
Services
Bus routes
There are 29 regularly scheduled routes and a BRT service called RapidBus, connecting Westbank Centre Exchange, downtown Queensway Transit Exchange and UBC Okanagan Exchange.[5] Also, there is one route operated by Vernon Regional Transit and one route operated by South Okanagan-Similkameen Transit System[6] within Kelowna Regional Transit's operational area.
| No. | Name | Areas Served | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lakeshore | Kelowna | |
| 2 | North End Shuttle | Kelowna | |
| 3 | Dilworth Mt. | Kelowna | |
| 4 | Pandosy Express | Kelowna | Weekday rush hours, September to June only |
| 5 | Gordon | Kelowna | |
| 6 | Glenmore/UBCO Express | Kelowna | |
| 8 | University/College | Kelowna | |
| 9 | Shopper Shuttle | Kelowna | |
| 10 | North Rutland | Kelowna | |
| 11 | Rutland | Kelowna | |
| 12 | McCulloch | Kelowna | Community Shuttle Route, Limited service to Orchard Park Mall (Exchange) |
| 13 | Quail Ridge | Kelowna | Weekdays, mornings and afternoons only |
| 14 | Black Mountain | Kelowna | Community Shuttle Route, Limited service to Orchard Park Mall (Exchange) |
| 15 | Crawford | Kelowna | Community Shuttle Route |
| 16 | Kettle Valley | Mission | |
| 17 | South Ridge | Mission | |
| 18 | Glenmore/Downtown | Kelowna | |
| 19 | Glenmore/Orchard Park | Kelowna | |
| 20 | Lakeview | West Kelowna | |
| 21 | Glenrosa | West Kelowna | |
| 22 | Peachland | Peachland | Community Shuttle Route |
| 23 | Lake Country | Lake Country | Service to Kelowna International Airport 2 morning southbound Ellison trips (via Old Vernon Road), and 2 afternoon northbound trips. |
| 24 | Shannon Ridge | West Kelowna | |
| 25 | East Boundary | West Kelowna | Community Shuttle Route |
| 26 | Old Okanagan | West Kelowna | Community Shuttle Route |
| 28 | Shannon Lake | West Kelowna | Community Shuttle Route, weekdays only |
| 29 | Bear Creek | West Kelowna | Community Shuttle Route, weekdays only |
| 32 | The Lakes | Lake Country | Community Shuttle Route, Weekdays only |
| 70 | Kelowna /Penticton | Penticton | Interregional connector operated by South Okanagan-Similkameen Regional Transit System. Weekdays only, four times daily. Requires its own standalone fare. Passes and transfers from both the South Okanagan-Similkameen Regional Transit System and Kelowna Regional Transit System are not accepted. |
| 84 | Academy Way | Kelowna | |
| 88 | Special | Kelowna | September to June; School Days only. |
| 90 | UBCO/Vernon | Vernon | Interregional express route operated by Vernon Regional. Kelowna Regional Transit System fares are accepted on Route 90, but are not valid within the Vernon Regional Transit System. |
| 97 | Okanagan | Kelowna/West Kelowna | Bus rapid transit service[7] |
| 98 | Rutland/UBCO | Kelowna | |
RapidBus
97 Okanagan is rapid bus transit operated by Kelowna Regional Transit System since September 2010. RapidBus expanded its service to West Kelowna on September 2, 2012. Digital screens with real-time schedule information installed at all stops.[8]
97 Okanagan connects West Kelowna, downtown Kelowna and UBC Okanagan via HOV lanes on Highway 97 with traffic signal priority with limited stops to provide fast and direct service.
UBCO/Vernon
90 UBCO/Vernon is an interregional route connecting UBC Okanagan and downtown Vernon. This route is operated by Vernon Regional Transit, but Kelowna Regional Transit System fare applies for travel within Kelowna Regional Transit's operational area. Kelowna Regional Transit passes and transfers are also valid between UBC Okanagan and Oyama.[9]
Penticton
70 Penticton/Kelowna is an interregional route connecting the South Okanagan to downtown West Kelowna and Kelowna. Northbound buses drop only in West Kelowna (no pickups), and pick up only in downtown Kelowna and West Kelowna on the southbound leg. Fares are separate from Kelowna Regional fares. Operated by Berry & Smith (South Okanagan contractor)[10]
Paratransit
HandyDART is a dial-a-ride service for people with a disability that is sufficiently severe that they are unable to use regular transit buses without assistance. Clients must be pre-registered to make use of this service.
Bicycle carriers
All buses are equipped with bicycle carriers, capable of holding two bikes at a time.[11] Carriers cannot hold tandem or motor-powered bikes. Also, the length of handle bars must be shorter than 69 cm.[11] Bicycles are not allowed on community shuttles before dawn or after sunset, because they would block the headlights.
Proposed changes/improvements
 | This section possibly contains unsourced predictions, speculative material, or accounts of events that might not occur. Information must be verifiable and based on reliable published sources. (April 2018) |
Potential transit routing changes
| No. | Name | Area | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lakeshore/Downtown Mission/Downtown | Kelowna | This route will strictly run down Pandosy and Lakeshore and no longer serve Okanagan College, however, this route will only be a short walk away. Furthermore, the 5 Gordon Drive can take the place of the 1 Lakeshore. The route will terminate at the H2O/Capital News Centre. |
| 4 | Express Pandosy/UBCO | Kelowna | This route will still serve Okanagan College to make up for the loss of the direct #1 service. |
| 6 | Glenmore/UBCO Downtown/UBCO | Kelowna | When John Hindle Drive is extended to UBCO, this route will likely be combined with the 7 Glenmore to provide all-day service to UBCO. |
| 7 | Glenmore Downtown/Orchard Park | Kelowna | When John Hindle Drive is extended to UBCO, this route will likely be combined with the 6 Glenmore to provide all-day service to UBCO. |
| 8 | University/OK College OC/UBCO | Kelowna | This route will run to Okanagan College and route through Campus East Route to avoid duplication of Gordon Drive with the 5 Gordon Drive and also provide two-way service on Ethel.. |
| 11 | Rutland Downtown/Rutland | Kelowna | This route will de diverted to Kelowna General Hospital via Springfield, Ethel, and Rose and then head to Queensway Exchange (downtown). The new #2 routing and 97 RapidBus stations at Gordon Drive and Parkinson will make up for this loss of service on Sutherland Avenue. |
| 22 | Peachland | Peachland | Establish a park and ride in Peachland to serve residents not located directly adjacent to the route. |
| 90 | North Okanagan Connector-Vernon | Vernon | Bus will no longer exit the highway to serve Oyama since statistic show few boardings in that area. Instead, it is proposed that a park and ride be established in Lake Country instead to serve these residents. |
Future infrastructure
Over $50 million is being invested in Phases 2 and 3 of RapidBus in 2013 and 2014 with infrastructure being completed in West Kelowna and Kelowna.
Rutland Exchange
The Rutland Exchange is located just north of Highway 33 and between Asher and Dougall Roads. It is a small part of the grand Rutland Town Centre Plan.
Phase 1 of the exchange was completed in September 2013 and currently only the #14 Black Mountain services it. To have routes 8 and 10 service the exchange at this time would be cumbersome and unnecessary.
The future plan, pending negotiations with he Rutland Centennial Park Society, is to extend the exchange and its road, through the park to Rutland Road to allow easy left and right turns onto Rutland Road. At this time, the 8 University, 10 North Rutland, and a potential East Rutland route will be able to service it.
RapidBus stations
New stations have been constructed on Highway 97 at Gordon Drive, Richter Street, and Butt Road. They are a level-boarding design, similar to the 8 other currently existing stations. With the announcement of the six-laning of Highway 97 from Highway 33 to Edwards Road and the reconfiguration of the Old Vernon/Sexsmith Intersection, a RapidBus Station may be constructed as well as part of the design.
Westbank Exchange
The new exchange will be built on Elliott Road with saw-toothed bays as part of a larger Westbank Town Centre revitalization. This will move the exchange off of the busy Highway 97 couplet and make way for a potential elimination of the couplet altogether through the Westbank Town Centre.
Boucherie Exchange
This exchange will replace Stevens Exchange and will be located in the vicinity of Bartley Road and Highway 97. More precisely, it will be located in the field next to the Super 8 on Westgate Road, and will include a Park n' Ride facility. Eastbound buses will pull in directly off the highway (similar to the RapidBus stations in Kelowna) and Westbound buses will route along Westgate Road to a similar RapidBus station. At implementation, the select few 97 Express trips along Ross and Cameron will likely stay on Highway 97 to make for routing reliability.
Queensway Exchange
When Queensway Exchange was built in 1998, underground utilities were installed for the construction of a future building on the transit island. The vision is to build a building down the middle which can include waiting areas, a security office, and perhaps a coffee shop. The new $5.6 million Queensway transit exchange opened on April 26, 2015, and includes an all-weather wood structure above the existing transit island platform.
Fares
Kelowna Regional Transit System is operated under a single zone system within the Regional District of Central Okanagan. A transfer slip is issued upon request, which allows unlimited travel on the system for up to 90 minutes from the time of fare payment.[12]
References
External links
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