Town of Cochrane Special Projects Planner Devin LaFleche provided an update on Cochrane On-Demand Local Transit (COLT) to Town Council on Thursday (May 28).
LaFleche said the COLT net budget cost is projected to be around $560,000, falling $40,000 under the original anticipated cost for 2020.
When COLT buses were introduced to the community they were free to ride from Oct. 7 to Dec. 31 in 2019 and ridership exceeded expectations by about 5,000 people, LaFleche said.
“It was right out the gate a lot of support, excitement and a lot of people riding the bus,” LaFleche said.
There was a slight drop in daily ridership when COLT transitioned to a paid service, LaFleche said. In January and February, the service was able to collect $15,000 in revenue.
Since March 16 there has been a 74 per cent drop in rides on weekdays due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Bell said, adding that number is slowly beginning to increase.
COLT moved to a free service to allow people to take essential trips in April, LaFleche said and the bus service cut operations by about 50 per cent. The reduction in the number of buses on the road saved the project about $26,000 each month.
“We are under on ridership but under on cost as well,” LaFleche said.
There is a possibility that the service may return to full vehicle services by the end of June and begin reintroducing paid services soon. LaFleche noted that vehicles will be carefully added based on the demand from riders.
The goal was to expand ridership for 2020 before the COVID-19 pandemic.
LaFleche added they are now focussed on getting revenue back up to around $8,000 each month once the full vehicle fleet is active towards the end of 2020. He added the number of buses may be increased incrementally as ridership goes up.
The bus service is exploring reinstating fares when ticket locations can re-open or when operating costs exceed net budgeted costs.
Due to the COVID-19 public health measures in place COLT buses restrict rider number to six people per vehicle, physical distancing of two-metres minimum is in effect and the ultrastatic coating of all bus interiors is being cleaned with a medical-grade disinfectant.
All high-touch areas in the buses are wiped down twice daily— This includes doorknobs, chairs, handrails, armrests and headrests.
The service remains in touch with the province to ensure public health measures are being met as the province enters in the Alberta Economic Relaunch.
The Town now has its full fleet of eight COLT buses that are ready to go when they transition back to full service, LaFleche said. He added that plans are in place to begin bus stop upgrades over the summer.
“After we did our first year we’re really focusing on having the bus stops be flexible so we can adjust them based on demand, whether they were safe and the feedback we got from residents and drivers,” LaFleche said. “Now we're really going to focus on upgrading bus stops based on the demand they are already seeing.”
Of the $781,000 available for bus stop infrastructure from the provincial fund GreenTrip funding COLT has used $64,000. The service is considering using $400,000 to create WiFi hotspots in downtown Cochrane, LaFleche said.
Councilor Marni Fedeyko said it has been exciting to see the project take root in Cochrane.
“I know that in the beginning there were issues with people attempting to get rides,” Fedeyko said. “As more buses come into play we are going to have less challenges in that regard.”
Fedeyko added that it is especially great seeing the potential regional bus routes begin to take shape.
“I know it will be something that excited a lot of people,” she said.
The Town is working with Southland Transportation Ltd. to expand regional bus services offered to Cochrane residents.
Southland currently operates the On-It Regional Transit Service offering three routes running from 5:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. for commuters travelling to and from Calgary.
The Town has been in discussion with Southland to incorporate COLT buses into the On-It fleet to aid in offering more pick up times and routes.
The idea LaFleche said is that Southland would pay for the operational cost of the COLT buses while the Town would provide vehicles and get the local fare revenue.
COLT is still working on fees for regional service, LaFleche said, and local and regional fares will be kept separate at the start.
Coun. Alex Reed said he is impressed with the incredible success the project has seen.
“I’m really excited about where this is heading,” Reed said.
