Dawson Creek mayor interested in BC Transit Digital On-Demand pilot project

DAWSON CREEK, B.C. — Dawson Creek Mayor Darcy Dober expressed his interest in a BC Transit pilot project being launched in Kelowna next year.

Lindsay Taylor, manager of government relations with BC Transit in Northern B.C., mentioned the Digital On-Demand pilot project while providing an update to council on Monday.

The Digital On-Demand program will use technology to dispatch a bus, van or fleet of vehicles to locations dictated by riders.

The service will have no fixed schedules, with customers able to request it as needed by using an app.

Dober expressed his interest in the project and requested more information.

“We have a system that is a little challenging to work for those that need it,”  Dober said. “We’re definitely open to looking at different avenues.”

The mayor and councillors mentioned how they often see buses in the city running their routes while empty and think the pilot project could be a solution.

The pilot will be offered in Kelowna’s Crawford neighbourhood and, if successful, could be expanded into other locations across the province.

Taylor also discussed the NextRide app implemented in Dawson Creek last summer and an electronic fare collection system called Umo, which will be introduced to Dawson Creek in the future.

According to stats from BC Transit, there were 62,510 rides in Dawson Creek from April 2022 to March 2023. In April and May of 2023, 13,562 rides were taken on a BC Transit Bus in Dawson Creek.

The full presentation to Dawson Creek council can be found below: