BC Transit expands service in West Kootenay
By Nelson Daily Staff
West Kootenay Transit, serving riders from Kaslo to Trail and Nelson, Slocan and Castlegar, is getting a mini-makeover.
The local transit service, which expanded to serve the entire West Kootenay in the summer of 2013, is introducing series of improvements including the introduction of Saturday service in Castlegar and on the regional connectors linking Nelson/Castlegar/Trail that will benefit the region as a whole.
“For the West Kootenay Transit Committee, it has been a progressive process of trying to meet the needs of our region,” said West Kootenay Transit Committee Chair Lawrence Chernoff.
“Partnering with BC Transit, we were able to establish transit service on Saturdays to connect the West Kootenay communities.”
The changes come into effect the week of Monday, March 16 where Saturday service begins in Castlegar on both local routes and on regional connectors to Trail and Nelson.
Prior to the change the Kootenay Connector, allowing riders to connect between Nelson and Trail, ran six times a day Monday through Friday.
The Route #98 Columbia Connector with service from Castlegar to Trail will see three round trips on Saturday.
The Route #99 Kootenay Connector from Castlegar’s Selkirk College to Nelson will also offer three round-trips on Saturdays.
Local runs with coverage to the Castlegar hospital, the airport and Community Complex will start at about 9 a.m. Saturdays.
Other improvements include Nelson’s Route #10 North Shore with a revised Saturday schedule and a new weekday schedule to improve service reliability. Plus the Slocan Valley’s Route #20 will see an added round trip on Saturdays.
“We are pleased to partner with the West Kootenay Transit Committee to better serve our customers,” said BC Transit President and CEO Manuel Achadinha.
“Improvements such as these help us achieve our goal of connecting people and communities by providing efficient and effective transit services.”
For more information on routes and schedules for West Kooteany riders go to the BC Transit website.
