Bus rides exceed pre-pandemic levels in Kamloops

Kamloops bus ridership bounced back in 2023 after a lull during the COVID pandemic. The total from the annual trip count still hasn't exceeded 2019, but it was the monthly trips toward the end of the year that went beyond pre-pandemic counts. That according to BC Transit's annual report to Kamloops city council, which shows there were more than 3.5 million trips across the conventional bus system during the 2022/2023 fiscal year, ending in March. When the pandemic struck in March 2020, it caused an immediate downturn in transit rides. It nearly cut ridership by half after the 2019/2020 year saw more than 4 million trips. READ MORE: Months before her death, RCMP were notified about Lumby woman's safety https://infotel.ca/newsitem/months-before-her-death-rcmp-were-notified-about-lumby-womans-safety/it104903 According to the report, 2023 started with ride counts similar to 2019, but far surpassed those counts by May. By December 2023 it bounced back to 115% of pre-pandemic ridership, on track to surpass previous levels. Meanwhile, BC Transit and operating contractor TransDev have been "increasingly successful" at hiring drivers. The end of 2023 saw fewer missed shifts and cancelled routes compared to earlier that year and 2022, according to the report. READ MORE: New transit fare system goes live in Kamloops; Okanagan not far behind https://infotel.ca/inwheels/in-video-umo-fare-system-goes-live-in-kamloops-okanagan-not-far-behind/it103364 iNFOnews.ca previously reported in 2022 on staffing issues in the Kamloops bus system https://infotel.ca/newsitem/morale-is-terrible-turnover-at-kamloops-transit-plagues-both-management-and-drivers/it93249 , which resulted in late busses, if they arrived at all, for riders. All full-time positions are now filled, while TransDev is still hiring casual drivers. BC Transit will also be putting more service hours on core routes "to address local on-time performance issues," according to the report. That will likely see a greater focus on the downtown, North Shore and Upper Sahali routes as they have the most riders. The City contributes $7.8 million to the bus system, including $5.9 to the conventional bus network. With BC Transit's contribution, the system will run on a $23.6 million budget this year with $18.7 million allocated to the conventional city bus network. To contact a reporter for this story, email Levi Landry mailto:llandry@infonews.ca  or call 250-819-3723 or email the editor mailto:news@infonews.ca . You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom mailto:tips@infonews.ca  and be entered to win a monthly prize draw. We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above. SUBSCRIBE to our awesome newsletter here https://infotel.ca/newsletter .