97 Express Kelowna RapidBus or 97 Okanagan is a bus rapid transit line operated by Kelowna Regional Transit System since September 2010 in

Central Okanagan Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. The service connects UBC Okanagan Exchange, Downtown Kelowna and Westbank Centre. 97X RapidBus offers high speed bus service by utilizing traffic signal priority and HOV lanes on

Highway 97 Route 97, or Highway 97, may refer to: Australia - Olympic Dam Highway, South Australia Canada * British Columbia Highway 97 ** British Columbia Highway 97A ** British Columbia Highway 97B ** British Columbia Highway 97C ** British Columb ...

97 Okanagan RapidBus stops

97 Okanagan RapidBus connects West Kelowna, downtown Kelowna and UBC Okanagan via

HOV lanes A high-occupancy vehicle lane (also known as an HOV lane, carpool lane, diamond lane, 2+ lane, and transit lane or T2 or T3 lanes) is a restricted traffic lane reserved for the exclusive use of vehicles with a driver and one or more passengers, i ...

on Highway 97 with traffic signal priority with the following limited stops from north to south:Route 97 schedule and map
/ref> * UBC Okanagan Exchange - The northern terminus of the line. Serves UBC's Okanagan campus and provide connections to #23 and #90 routes running further north to

Kelowna International Airport Kelowna International Airport is a Canadian airport located approximately 10 minutes or northeast of Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada, on Highway 97. The single runway airport operates scheduled air service to Vancouver, Victoria, Calgary, E ...

Lake Country Lake Country is a district municipality with a population of approximately 15,000 in the Okanagan Valley region of British Columbia, Canada. It is a part of the Central Okanagan Regional District, and of the Kelowna metropolitan area. The city ...

and City of Vernon * Sexsmith Station * McCurdy Station - Serves McCurdy and North Rutland neighbourhoods. #10 stop located in close proximity. * Banks Station - Serves Walmart Supercentre. #8 and #10 stops located in close proximity. * Cooper Station (Orchard Park Exchange) - Serves

Orchard Park Shopping Centre Orchard Park Shopping Centre is a regional shopping mall in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada. It is the largest shopping mall in the Okanagan. It is located on the major provincial highway, Harvey Avenue (Highway 97), at the intersections of Coo ...

and provide connections for buses serving Rutland, Glenmore and Pandosy neighbourhoods. * Parkinson Station - Serves Parkinson Recreation Park and Landmark Office Towers. Inbound and outbound stops are connected by Dayton Overpass over Highway 97. * Gordon Station - This stop was added on April 27, 2014. Serves Capri Centre and connects to #5 Gordon route. * Richter Station - This stop was added on April 27, 2014. Serves southern end of Downtown Kelowna. * Queensway Transit Exchange - Serves Downtown Kelowna and provide connections for buses serving

Okanagan College Okanagan College is a public, post-secondary institution with over 120 certificates, diplomas, degrees and programs including apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship trades programs. Its largest campus is located in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canad ...

, Mission, Glenmore and North End. * Westside Station - Serves Okanagan Lake Shopping Centre. * Westlake-Hudson Station - This stop was added on November 30, 2014. * Boucherie Mountain Exchange - Serves West Kelowna Municipal Hall and Mount Boucherie Senior Secondary School. Provide connections to local routes serving West Kelowna. * Butt Station - Serves Butt Road and surrounding strip malls. * Westbank Centre Exchange - The southern terminus of the line. Serves Downtown Westbank. Provide connections to local route serving Glenrosa and #22 route running further south to

Peachland Peachland is a district municipality in the Okanagan Valley on the west side of Okanagan Lake in British Columbia, Canada. It was founded in 1899 by John Moore Robinson, although the region had long been home to the Okanagan people. Peachland ...

Amenities

Unenclosed

bus shelters A bus stop is a place where buses stop for passengers to get on and off the bus. The construction of bus stops tends to reflect the level of usage, where stops at busy locations may have shelters, seating, and possibly electronic passenger ...

are installed at all stops on Highway 97 in Kelowna and West Kelowna. An enclosed weatherproof shelter with on-demand heaters is installed at UBC Okanagan Exchange Bus shelters are planned to be installed in West Kelowna. All completed RapidBus stops on Highway 97 are raised to match with the height of the bus floors, allowing faster boarding and wheelchair users to enter or exit bus without using ramp. Stops are designed to minimize the gap between bus and curb. Only

Nova Bus Nova Bus (stylized as NOVABUS) is a Canadian bus manufacturer headquartered in Saint-Eustache, Quebec, Canada. Nova is owned by the Volvo Group. The company has roots in the General Motors Diesel Division, which opened in 1979. Nova Bus was es ...

es are compatible with this set-up since double deckers and New Flyers are low-floor and will not be used for liability and practicality purposes. FRP plank is attached to the curve, allowing buses to contact the curb without damaging or scratching the vehicle.

Tactile paving Tactile paving (also called tenji blocks, truncated domes, detectable warnings, tactile tiles, tactile ground surface indicators, tactile walking surface indicators, or detectable warning surfaces) is a system of textured ground surface indicat ...

s are installed at all raised stops on Highway 97. Digital screens with real-time schedule information are installed at all stops as well. Most 97 Okanagan Nova Buses are equipped with a public announcement system featuring the same familiar voice announcing the Route upon entering the bus, and next stop, final stop announcements inside the bus. Inside the bus there is also an electronic sign that displays the Route when the doors open, then the next stop when the door closes, and will alternate between the next stop, and stop requested once someone requests a stop.

History

97 Express was originally created to connect

, Rutland and the current UBC Okanagan Exchange via Enterprise Way and Highway 33. In September 2010, the first phase of Kelowna RapidBus service was announced connecting UBC Okanagan Exchange and the Downtown Queensway Exchange in Kelowna via Highway 97, replacing the old 97 Express serving Rutland via Highway 33. The Southbound McCurdy stop did not have a shelter or curb until late 2011. RapidBus expanded its service to

West Kelowna West Kelowna, formerly known as Westbank and colloquially known as Westside, is a city in British Columbia's Okanagan Valley. The city encompasses several distinct neighbourhoods, including Casa Loma, Gellatly, Glenrosa, Lakeview Heights, Shan ...

on September 2, 2012, although the Westside stop was the only dedicated RapidBus stop. The route diverted from Highway 97 at several intersections to serve local stops. Infrastructure upgrades started in 2013 to further expand RapidBus service. The Gordon and Richter stops in Kelowna were opened on April 27, 2014 and express service was extended to West Kelowna on August 31, 2014.

References

External links

Kelowna Regional Transit System

Kelowna RapidBus

Timetable
{{Central Okanagan Transport in Kelowna Bus rapid transit in Canada 2010 establishments in British Columbia