qathet Regional District board has approved a three-year transit expansion initiative with BC Transit.
Regional directors granted approval to the initiative at the March 23 regional board meeting.
At the October 23 committee of the whole meeting, former City of Powell River director George Doubt said recently, a request came to the board to include improvements to paratransit and other features of the transit planning. He said he did not see that reflected in the motion before the committee, that it recommended that the board authorize the chair and chief administrative officer to sign the three-year transit expansion initiatives agreement, and that the board reaffirm its commitment to service expansion to Texada Island.
“Does that mean we will have to include it in a future transit plan?” asked Doubt.
Chief administrative officer Al Radke said what Doubt was referring to is a separate issue, and that’s about the grand plan of what the vision is for the transit system. He said what was before the committee is a contract for the three subsequent years.
Electoral Area A director Jason Lennox said he was looking at the figures for the system’s operation and wondered if they were anticipated, or had they escalated.
Manager of operational services Patrick Devereaux said the costs had increased significantly. He said the regional board has approved expansion for one more day to Texada Island.
Electoral Area D director Mark Gisborne said that as this increased level of service is rolled out, would the impact of users be found out? He said for the additional $60,000 to expand the Texada Island route, sometimes there might be other solutions. He said some communities have nonprofits that help with transit, or there are taxi vouchers.
“I’m in support of mass transit and getting people around that don’t have cars, but when it comes down to how it is being subsidized per user, it becomes a big question,” said Gisborne.
He said if it is hardly used, but the regional district ends up paying $120 per user, for example, it might be better to give taxi vouchers. He added that had the expansion been approved several years ago when the regional district first made the request, it would have cost much less, in the neighbourhood of $35,000.
“It’s something we need to keep an eye on as we move forward with our greater transportation plan,” said Gisborne.
Committee of the whole voted in favour of sending the matter to the regional board meeting later in the day for approval.
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