Turner Valley and Black Diamond commuters will still have the option to catch a bus to larger centres this fall and winter.
The On-It Regional transit system will remain unchanged for routes that make their way from Turner Valley, through Black Diamond, on to Okotoks and then to the Somerset Bridlewood C-train station in south Calgary. The bus leaves from Turner Valley at Main Street and Edgar Ave. at 6:04 a.m. and 7:11 a.m. Passengers are picked up at the C-train station at 4:54 p.m. and 5:54 p.m. The commutes are just over one hour between Turner Valley and the Somerset station.
In Okotoks some routes may be cancelled due to low ridership, specifically the local bus route and trips from Calgary to Okotoks.
Black Diamond CAO Sharlene Brown said ridership has fluctuated, but she believes the number of people using the commuter service will grow.
“Our summer ridership has declined,” Brown said. “There are not as many people in school. I expect it to pick back up in the fall.”
Black Diamond started out with 35 trips in October. The highest ridership was in January with 121. In May there were 73 trips.
Statistics provided by the Calgary Regional Partnership calculate one-way trips and do not show how many individual riders there are.
Brown said it’s to be expected that ridership is the highest during the winter months.
“The roads and the weather is not so nice,” she said.
In Turner Valley, the rides have varied between 12 in October and 71 in March, but dropped back to 52 in May.
Turner Valley CAO Barry Williamson said he has seen some ridership figures, but has not had a financial update. He said Turner Valley council also hasn’t seen a report provided to Okotoks council.
“It’s premature to comment on it,” Williamson said.
The cost to run the On-It busses is projected to exceed the $500,000 funding provided by the CRP. Black Diamond and Turner Valley could be on the hook for $7,200 or as little as $4,000. The CRP has recommended service in Okotoks be reduced, which would reduce the bills for the rest of the partners.
Brown said they will pay for the On-it bill from their transit budget.
