The South Okanagan Similkameen Transit service's new Penticton to Kelowna route 70 is proving to be particularly popular on Mondays, when four round trips to Kelowna are scheduled.

(STEVE ARSTAD / iNFOnews.ca)

It’s only been just over a month, but a new Penticton to Kelowna bus route is already expanding.

The service, which was implemented Sept. 3, currently consists of four round trips from Penticton to Kelowna on Mondays, and two round trips Tuesday to Friday for a fare of $5 per trip. Usage is “going well,” according to Regional District of Okanagan Similkameen planner Apollo Figueiredo.

The Monday route schedule is proving so popular, it's moving to four round trips daily implemented next year, Figueiredo says.

He says feedback from local operator Berry & Smith indicate the new route is being well used on Mondays when the service provides four trips to Kelowna, and is seeing double digit usage in passenger numbers as a commuter service the remainder of the week when the service only runs two return trips.

Figueiredo says people are still realizing the service exists and still has room to grow

“People are also hearing about it through word of mouth,” he says.

A spokesperson for B.C. Transit says statistics for September’s ridership should be available in the coming weeks.

The bus service is fairly unique in British Columbia, being one of only two routes in the province that goes from city to city.

The need for the Penticton to Kelowna service was identified by the Regional District of Okanagan Similkameen following the termination of Greyhound Bus Lines service to the region last year. Plenty of residents need to travel to Kelowna for appointments, including medical appointments and schedules.

Penticton residents travelling to Kelowna depart Cherry Lane Mall at Atkinson Street and Warren Avenue at 6:03 and 3:36 p.m. daily, arriving in Kelowna at the Queensway Exchange at 7:25 and 4:55 p.m.

On Monday, two additional round trip runs depart from the Cherry Lane stop at 9:08 a.m. and 12:37 p.m., arriving in Kelowna at 10:25 a.m. and 1:55 p.m.

For Kelowna residents travelling to Penticton, Route 70 departs from the Queensway Exchange in Kelowna,  heading southbound at 7:40 a.m. and 5:10 p.m. weekdays, with additional departures at 10:35 a.m. and 2:05 p.m. on Monday.

For more information on Route 70, see the B.C. Transit website.

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