Kelowna Regional Transit System is operated by FirstCanada, providing public bus transportation services in part of the central

Okanagan Valley The Okanagan ( ), also known as the Okanagan Valley and sometimes as the Okanagan Country, is a region in the Canadian province of British Columbia defined by the basin of Okanagan Lake and the Canadian portion of the Okanagan River. It is part ...

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 ...

.Central Okanagan i-go, Transit
/ref> Funding for the transit system is shared between the City of Kelowna,

Regional District of Central Okanagan The Regional District of Central Okanagan (RDCO) is a regional district in the Canadian province of British Columbia, representing the metropolitan area of Greater Kelowna, which comprises the City of Kelowna, City of West Kelowna and their ...

, District of Lake Country, City of West Kelowna,

Westbank First Nation The Westbank First Nation is a self-governing First Nations band in the Okanagan region of British Columbia, Canada, and is one of eight bands that comprise the Okanagan Nation Alliance. Westbank First Nation (WFN) is governed by one chief (Chri ...

and

BC Transit BC Transit is a provincial crown corporation responsible for coordinating the delivery of public transportation within British Columbia, Canada, outside Greater Vancouver. BC Transit is headquartered in Victoria, British Columbia. In , the system ...

, while the planning and routing decisions are primarily made by

Kelowna City Council Kelowna City Council is the governing body of the city of Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada. The council consist of the mayor and eight elected city councillors who represent the city. Municipal elections are held every four years across the Provin ...

. Kelowna Regional Transit was one of the first public transit systems in Canada to have double-decker buses, and the first in Canada to have hybrid buses on regular routes. The hybrid and double deckers buses have since been relocated to

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

Services

Bus routes

There are 29 regularly scheduled routes and a

BRT BRT may refer to: Transportation * Block register territory, a method for dispatching trains * British Rail Telecommunications * Brookhaven Rail Terminal * Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company, a former transit holding company in New York City * Bro ...

service called '' RapidBus'', connecting Westbank Centre Exchange, downtown Queensway Transit Exchange and UBC Okanagan Exchange.busline.ca Routes and Schedules
/ref> Also, there is one route operated by

Vernon Regional Transit Vernon Regional Transit System provides bus service to destinations in Vernon, Coldstream and North Okanagan area of British Columbia, using fully accessible low floor transit buses. This transit system is responsible for all local full-service ...

and one route operated by

South Okanagan-Similkameen Transit System South Okanagan-Similkameen Transit provides local public, regional, and interregional transportation services in the City of Penticton in the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia, Canada, and outlying communities, with a fleet of fully accessible l ...

within Kelowna Regional Transit's operational area.

RapidBus

97X RapidBus is rapid bus transit operated by Kelowna Regional Transit System since September 2010. 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. Digital screens with real-time schedule information installed at all stops. 97x 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 ...

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 ...

with traffic signal priority with limited stops to provide fast and direct service.

North Okanagan Connector

90 North Okanagan Connector is an interregional route connecting UBC Okanagan and downtown Vernon. This route is operated by

, but Kelowna Regional Transit System fare applies for travel within Kelowna Regional Transit's operational area. Kelowna Regional Transit passes and transfers are also valid between UBC Okanagan and Oyama.

Penticton

70 Penticton/Kelowna is an interregional route connecting the South Okanagan to downtown West Kelowna and Kelowna. Northbound buses drop only in West Kelowna (no pickups), and pick up only in downtown Kelowna and West Kelowna on the southbound leg. Fares are separate from Kelowna Regional fares. Operated by Berry & Smith (South Okanagan contractor)

Paratransit

HandyDART HandyDART is an accessible transit service in British Columbia that uses vans or small buses to transport disabled or elderly passengers who cannot use the normal transit system. This service provides door-to-door service and is available in all ...

is a dial-a-ride service for people with a disability that is sufficiently severe that they are unable to use regular transit buses without assistance. Clients must be pre-registered to make use of this service.

Bicycle carriers

All buses are equipped with

bicycle carrier A bicycle, also called a pedal cycle, bike or cycle, is a human-powered or motor-powered assisted, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A is called a cyclist, or bicyclist. Bic ...

s, capable of holding two bikes at a time.http://busonline.ca/regions/kel/transitplus/bike_and_ride.cfm Carriers cannot hold

tandem Tandem, or in tandem, is an arrangement in which a team of machines, animals or people are lined up one behind another, all facing in the same direction. The original use of the term in English was in ''tandem harness'', which is used for two ...

or motor-powered bikes. Also, the length of handle bars must be shorter than 69 cm. Bicycles are not allowed on community shuttles before dawn or after sunset, because they would block the headlights.

Proposed changes/improvements

Potential transit routing changes

Future infrastructure

Over $50 million is being invested in Phases 2 and 3 of RapidBus in 2013 and 2014 with infrastructure being completed in West Kelowna and Kelowna.

Rutland Exchange

The Rutland Exchange is located just north of Highway 33 and between Asher and Dougall Roads. It is a small part of the grand Rutland Town Centre Plan. Phase 1 of the exchange was completed in September 2013 and currently only the #14 Black Mountain services it. To have routes 8 and 10 service the exchange at this time would be cumbersome and unnecessary. The future plan, pending negotiations with he Rutland Centennial Park Society, is to extend the exchange and its road, through the park to Rutland Road to allow easy left and right turns onto Rutland Road. At this time, the 8 University, 10 North Rutland, and a potential East Rutland route will be able to service it.

RapidBus stations

New stations have been constructed on Highway 97 at Gordon Drive, Richter Street, and Butt Road. They are a level-boarding design, similar to the 8 other currently existing stations. With the announcement of the six-laning of Highway 97 from Highway 33 to Edwards Road and the reconfiguration of the Old Vernon/Sexsmith Intersection, a RapidBus Station may be constructed as well as part of the design.

Westbank Exchange

The new exchange will be built on Elliott Road with saw-toothed bays as part of a larger Westbank Town Centre revitalization. This will move the exchange off of the busy Highway 97 couplet and make way for a potential elimination of the couplet altogether through the Westbank Town Centre.

Boucherie Exchange

This exchange will replace Stevens Exchange and will be located in the vicinity of Bartley Road and Highway 97. More precisely, it will be located in the field next to the Super 8 on Westgate Road, and will include a Park n' Ride facility. Eastbound buses will pull in directly off the highway (similar to the RapidBus stations in Kelowna) and Westbound buses will route along Westgate Road to a similar RapidBus station. At implementation, the select few 97 Express trips along Ross and Cameron will likely stay on Highway 97 to make for routing reliability.

Queensway Exchange

When Queensway Exchange was built in 1998, underground utilities were installed for the construction of a future building on the transit island. The vision is to build a building down the middle which can include waiting areas, a security office, and perhaps a coffee shop. The new $5.6 million Queensway transit exchange opened on April 26, 2015, and includes an all-weather wood structure above the existing transit island platform.

Fares

Kelowna Regional Transit System is operated under a single zone system within the

. A transfer slip is issued upon request, which allows unlimited travel on the system for up to 90 minutes from the time of fare payment.

References

External links

* {{Public transit systems in Canada Transit agencies in British Columbia Transport in Kelowna Bus rapid transit in Canada