As Revelstoke navigates transit needs, residents look for variety and flexibility in bus schedules. Some cite childcare needs, others just want to see a movie. Many need to get to and from doctor’s appointments. All share a similar sentiment: more consideration of Revelstoke’s growth is needed in public transportation.
Revelstoke Mountaineer chatted with some community members and local bus driver Gail Anderson to learn more about what residents are looking for.
Student needs
Shifting time tables during school months doesn’t seem to take students, families and after school care programs into consideration according to Jo Gawler, executive director of Revelstoke After School Society. The winter transit schedule leaves little time for students and staff to depart from school at the end of the day and make it to a stop before the bus arrives, she said.
With wait times of up to two hours between buses and a tight pickup time after school lets out, Gawler sought alternative means to transport staff and kids to the main afterschool care location at Big Eddy Elementary, including staff driving students themselves. This creates a financial and insurance burden, however. But having staff arrive at the school at an earlier time via transit leaves them waiting around with nothing to do for extended periods.
“We have been so close to missing the bus so many times,” Gawler said. “It puts so much added stress on my staff and the kids…and then I’m told, ‘you haven’t missed it yet, it doesn’t seem to be an issue’.”
Gail Anderson, a senior driver for BC Transit knows from her own experience the schedule struggles that leave some students racing to catch the bus. While she herself can’t change it, Anderson works to try and line up schedules and give a bit of leeway time.
“I’m not going to leave kids out in the snow, [or] in the heat… I’ll keep an eye out and make sure everyone who needs that stop is on board, I know of groups who are reliant on that bus at those times. But that means knowing ahead of time and building that relationship.”
Medical needs
The long time spans between bus runs also means those using transit to reach appointments can be left for hours at a location before that appointment.
“You end up waiting at an office, wandering downtown just looking for something to do when really you just want to be home,” Cindy Ratcliffe told Revelstoke Mountaineer. She and Ella Underdown explained they have both tried to attend appointments and run errands using the HandyDart, but the scheduling for pick up times leaves seemingly as little flexibility as the regular bus routes.
“If doctors run late, which they often do, you have to cut your appointment short so you can meet the HandyDart because you scheduled it 24 hours ago for that specific time,” Ratcliffe said. She often feels rushed to end an appointment that oftentimes has already been shortened.
Some resources and organizations in town are trying to fill that access gap, including Community Connections Revelstoke Society (CCRS). Siobhan O’Connor with CCRS has personally driven clients to doctor appointments.
“The frequency just isn’t there, not for what I think is needed in this town now. Then we’re trying to fill those gaps,” O’Connor said.
Revelstoke transit access safety
Relying on the resort shuttle as part of Revelstoke’s transit creates another access barrier for those struggling with steep stairs, traveling with strollers or trying to bring groceries back home, some residents point out.
“I worry about people trying to get on with their little ones,” Underdown said. “Trying to get on and off that bus is not easy for folks.”
Users hope future fleet growth, whether with another bus similar to the BC Transit ones currently in town or a potential larger bus with crouch and ramp features could add to the overall accessibility of transit in Revelstoke. Revelstoke Mountain Resort stated in a recent Open House that adding public transit access to the resort is a key focus for the next five years but with BC Transit struggling with vehicle procurement, the future shape of Revelstoke’s fleet is up in the air. Still, Anderson is hoping it lands on the side of growing with the demand in town.
“There are so many kids that ride the bus now, and that’s such a good thing, but I won’t put them at risk if these buses get too full,” Anderson said, referring to cases in larger municipalities where school students are often cramped on city buses.
A point of growth
Revelstoke transit access finds itself in an odd point, Anderson theorizes. It is a resource attempting to serve multiple populations in a growing town with resources that aren’t quite keeping pace.
Underdown wants to see a schedule that continues to provide safer travel alternatives for those accessing Revelstoke’s bars later at night, but also provides for those looking for an earlier evening.
“Folks who want to go to a movie, or go downtown and eat at a restaurant. Those are really hard to plan for with the current schedule.”
The multi-partner transit plan Revelstoke currently operates might not be able to sustain the town in coming years, O’Connor said, noting that most complaints she hears all seem to boil down to one common theme.
“There just isn’t enough in general. Not enough runs, not enough time slots, not enough accessible services for the transit. It’s maybe not quite meeting what our community needs.”
It’s a need that seems to be growing based on the community requests, Ratcliffe said.
“More and more people want to be able to take the transit around town, want to be able to rely on that instead of having a car all the time. I really hope we can make it work more for folks.”
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