BACKGROUND: The South Okanagan-Similkameen Transit Future Plan was adopted by the RDOS Board in April of 2015, in consultation with several stakeholders, service groups and the public.

This plan guides and prioritizes future investment in the transit systems, sets ridership targets, identifies key transit corridors and identifies the fleet, service hours and infrastructure needed to support the transit network. Transit Future Plans support local and regional land use objectives and decision-making. Transit Future Action Plans are conducted every five years following a Transit Future Plan (TFP) to refine those transit priorities and to guide transit decision making over the next 5 years for the transit system. Given that it has now been five years since the Transit Future Plan was adopted, BC Transit is facilitating the implementation of the 2020 Transit Action Future Action Plan with the collaboration of municipalities in the South Okanagan Similkameen and the RDOS.

The project scope will include itemizing the (TFP) progress to date; identifying and prioritizing transit service and infrastructure options; and building on relevant local plans and policies. The first phase of the consultation for the plan will begin in early March with an on-board customer satisfaction survey to gather feedback directly from the users of the system. The second phase of consultation will begin in early April, which will include open houses throughout the South Okanagan Similkameen to gather input from current and potential users of the system. An open-house will be held on April 1 at the Oliver Community Centre, from 8:30am to 10:30am.

An online survey will also be included in the consultations for phase 2. A presentation of the draft Transit Future Action Plan priorities to elected officials of direct partners for endorsement (in our case to the RDOS) will be completed this summer with the Transit Future Action Plan completion scheduled for fall/winter 2020. Currently, Route 40 (Osoyoos/Penticton) runs two times a day, with pick up in Oliver at 7:35am and 12:50pm from the Kootenay/Co-Op and Oliver Hospital stops.

These busses return later in the morning and afternoon. A PDF map has been attached showing the routing and stops. Some of the questions to be discussed during the engagement sessions are:

• should a local Oliver service be created? What would the route look like, where would the stops be, and at what frequency?

• should services be increased between Oliver and Osoyoos? • should the Route 40 bus (Osoyoos/Penticton) be increased to four trips during the week rather than two?

Should a Saturday trip be introduced?

The RDOS has approved their portion of funding to expand the two midday trips on the Route 70 Penticton/Kelowna to operate every weekday starting in September 2020, and planning work is currently underway for this expansion.

This will mean that South Okanagan Transit riders will be able to access the transfer bus to Kelowna in Penticton Monday through Friday.

Source: Report to Council – Town of Oliver