The CVRD and BC Transit have committed to fund a new and innovative community shuttle service for the rural electoral areas.
The shuttle will include two routes operating on Tuesdays and Thursdays with three trips; morning, midday and afternoon, on each route.
The shuttle service will be operated with a light duty-bus with capacity for approximately 20 passengers as well as bicycles, strollers and mobility aids.
One route will loop north along Anderton, Waveland, Bates and Coleman roads before returning via Headquarters Road.
A second route will travel down Highway 19A to Union Bay and then to neighbourhoods up McLeod Road and along Tappin Street before returning to Courtenay. Both trips will start and end at the downtown Courtenay exchange where riders can transfer onto other routes going throughout Courtenay, Comox and Cumberland.
An innovative feature of these two routes is that they will also detour off their route by approximately 1.5 kilometres to pick up rural residents with mobility challenges who would not be able to make it to the designated shuttle route. This will help address the lack of handyDART in rural areas, and is critical for residents to remain independent and connected to the greater community.
“We understand the challenges of aging in place in rural areas, and we are excited to offer this new service for electoral area residents who have not had access to transit services in the past,” said Area C director Edwin Grieve in a press release.