Vernon – Starting Sunday, April 1, bus riders in the Vernon Regional Transit System will benefit from service improvements and a simplified fare system that will allow all passengers to pay a single, one-way fare of $2.50 to travel across all zones.
Improvements to the transit system will include the addition of a brand-new, high-frequency route, 9 North End. This new route will run seven days a week, providing direct service from downtown to the north end, including Village Green Centre and Walmart.
Other service enhancements include the addition of Saturday service on route 90 UBCO Connector, and extending service hours until 9 p.m. Monday through Friday on routes 3 Alexis Park, 5 South Vernon, 7 OK Landing and 8 Bella Vista.
Routing changes to routes 2 Pleasant Valley and 3 Alexis Park will improve service east and west of 27th Street, respectively. There will also be minor changes to routes 8 Bella Vista and 7 OK Landing. Route 8 Bella Vista will now loop through Heritage Drive—this will supplement route 7 OK Landing, providing 35-minute service to the area between both routes. Route 7 OK Landing will continue to serve the same areas, but will have minor directional changes in the Heritage Drive area to continue serving Planet Bee in the westbound direction.
As part of the service expansion, Vernon will receive two new 30-foot, medium-duty buses, each equipped with closed-circuit TV (CCTV) cameras to improve the safety of passengers and drivers. These two buses are in addition to the 10 new 30-foot buses brought to Vernon in 2017.
Complementing these improvements, the new simplified fare will make it more convenient to ride the bus in the region by getting rid of fare zones. Riders may choose to pay the new single, one-way cash fare of $2.50, or purchase a 10-ticket sheet for $22.50, a DayPASS for $6, or a monthly pass for $55 (adults) or $40 (students and seniors). Semester passes for post-secondary students will also continue to be available at $120 per semester.
The one-way cash fare for route 90 UBCO Connector will now be $5 for all riders, with Kelowna Regional Transit transfers accepted on this route with a $2.50 cash top-up, and Kelowna monthly and day passes accepted at no extra charge. UBCO’s U-PASS will remain valid on both Vernon and Kelowna Regional Transit Systems. As well, Vernon monthly and day passes will continue to be accepted on Kelowna Regional Transit buses at no additional cost.
Kelowna Regional Transit System monthly and day passes are not valid on the local Vernon Regional Transit System.
For more information, routes, schedules and alerts in Vernon, please visit bctransit.com/vernon.
Media contact
Jonathon Dyck
Communications Manager
BC Transit
250-995-5720
Media@bctransit.com
