Changes are on the horizon when it comes to transit in Okotoks.
In response to a question during the Mayor’s Town Update on Jan. 16, Mayor Tanya Thorn acknowledged that transit service is lacking.
“We are aware that it is not operating at our desired service level,” Thorn said.
Demand for transit has grown faster than the Town planned for and a transit review is underway, with more details expected in April, she said.
“We were not expecting to be in this position for four years,” Thorn said.
Okotoks operates an on-demand transit system where users book a trip in advance and are picked up and dropped off “curb-to-curb.” Users can book trips up to three weeks in advance.
Anna Dioguardi, who posed the question to Thorn at last week's event, said she’s tried to book trips online, via the Okotoks Transit app or by phone, but the service is usually booked.
Dioguardi said she would like to see scheduled service where buses make regular stops.
“There should be a whole public transit system in Okotoks,” she said.
Expanded bus services would help solve problems like traffic congestion, speeding or road safety concerns, and would fit with the Town’s environmental plans, she said.
“(Kids) could take the bus, so they wouldn’t have to cross dangerous intersections,” she said.
Last year, the Town said users were taking 80,000 trips per year, or three times more than the system was designed to accommodate.
