Greater West Bench transit service implementation

News Article

The Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen (RDOS) in partnership with BC Transit is pleased to announce the long-awaited Greater West Bench transit service is set to begin operations on Monday, January 3, 2022. The Regional District has been working toward implementing this service since a 2011 transit study recommended the re-implementation of a local transit service. A bus service previously operated in the Greater West Bench area but ceased operations in the early 1990s.

The RDOS will request community input later in the year to gather feedback on how to improve transit service operations in the Greater West Bench area. “Community feedback will help the RDOS and BC Transit ensure community needs are being met,” says Electoral Area F Director Riley Gettens.

The service will cost $2.25 per trip, with additional discount fare options including monthly passes and sets of tickets available for purchase at the RDOS office at 101 Martin Street in Penticton. “This project has been long in the making and it is great to be able to connect Greater West Bench residents and visitors to larger centres through this local transit service,” says Electoral Area F Director Riley Gettens.

Transit infrastructure such as poles and signage will be installed over the course of the next couple of weeks at bus stop locations throughout the community in preparation for service implementation.

In celebration of launching the new transit service, the RDOS is pleased to offer residents and transit users an opportunity to try the new Route 11 West Bench/Penticton service at no cost between January 3 and January 7, 2022.

Anyone using the Greater West Bench transit service between January 3 and January 7 is invited to enter for their chance to win a gift certificate to Landmark Cinemas. Bring your own pen or pencil to fill out a ballot and drop it in the onboard contest box. The winner will be drawn on January 14, 2022.

Further schedule and routing information is detailed below.

For more information on the Greater West Bench Transit service, please contact Apollo Figueiredo at afigueiredo@rdos.bc.ca or 250-490-4238. 

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Mark Pendergraft, Chair
Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen

Contacts: 

Apollo Figueiredo
Planner, Community Services
250-490-4238

Erick Thompson Andrea Rendall RDOS Toll Free 
RDOS Communications     RDOS Communications 1-877-610-3737
250-490-4211     250-490-4147  

GWB RouteGWB Schedule

Note: Only timed bus stops are shown on the schedule and routing map. Look for transit bus stop infrastructure throughout the community to identify additional transit stop locations.

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