North Battleford Transit has been hosting information sessions to explain to the public the changes coming to the transit system April 1.
A display was set up at the Frontier Centre Feb. 4 and they plan to hold another one Thursday, Feb. 11 between 2 and 6 p.m. at Territorial Place Mall. The goal is to answer questions and familiarize the public with some of the changes coming to the transit system.
Before, one bus went in a continuous loop around the city, but unfortunately people had to wait upwards of an hour for the bus to arrive.
With the new route structure, a second bus has been added that will travel in the opposite direction.
That should reduce the amount of time riding in the bus, said Transit Manager Al Love.
“On the old system, if your travel time was 15 minutes to your destination, you had a 45-minute ride home,” said Love.
Now, it should be 15-minutes both ways.
The route has also been adjusted so the buses will stay on the feeder streets for the most part. But officials estimate about 80 per cent of the existing route should be maintained.
“We try to stay on more of what we call feeder streets and allow the bus to travel on a much more fluid pattern,” said Love.
Also, the route has been expanded into the Kildeer and Fairview areas. Buses would depart from the Co-op Mall to that area.
The latest changes are being instituted based on feedback received after the transit implemented in 2012, when the new buses were purchased.
The changeover was well received by riders, but some concerns were expressed. The key ones were the length of the ride times and also that the system was not getting into Kildeer and Fairview.
“We tried to address those concerns and tried to make the ride shorter and get into the neighbourhoods,” said Love.
The changes to the transit system come into effect April 1. Some other changes are also being contemplated, such as discounted monthly passes for seniors as well as selling tickets at a discounted rate.
