New report says Northern Rockies bus services, air travel options and more should expand

FORT NELSON, B.C. — Expanding the bus services that connect the Northern Rockies Regional Municipality (NRRM) to communities like Fort St. John should be a top priority, according to the results of a recent survey. 

The NRRM announced the completion of its Comprehensive Passenger Transportation Plan on January 28th, created by consulting firm Left Turn Right Turn (LTRT). It was created based on consultations with residents that took place over the course of October and November of 2024.

The report, focused on ground transportation, identifies several important gaps that need to be filled to meet residents’ needs, including the lack of a taxi service in the region, forcing residents to rely on their own personal vehicles.

Reportedly, a taxi service used to exist in Fort Nelson – where 66 per cent of NRRM residents live – but it closed several years ago, which led to eligibility changes for the Northern Rockies Seniors’ Society Seniors’ Bus service and is believed to have caused an increase in carpooling.

“Current transportation patterns show a strong reliance on personal vehicles, with 72 per cent of survey respondents using them as their primary mode of travel,” the report reads.

“Another 11 per cent depend on rides from friends or family, though this percentage may be higher since the survey didn’t capture any survey responses from those under 18.”

The report also claims 28 per cent of respondents reported having to cancel plans or appointments within the last year due to a lack of transportation. Twenty-two per cent also reported having no access to a personal vehicle.

Regarding currently available transit services, the report identifies the following options for residents:

• The Seniors’ Society Seniors’ Bus, which – despite the name – is open to all residents from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday to Friday on a door-to-door, on-demand basis.
• The limited transportation options offered by First Nations within the region, like the medical shuttle service offered by Fort Nelson First Nation (FNFN).
• School bus services bringing children to School District 81 facilities and Chalo School in FNFN Monday to Friday.
• BC Bus North, an inter-city bus service that drives from Fort Nelson to Fort St. John and back again on Mondays and Fridays, with one round trip on each day.
• Northern Health Connections, an inter-city bus service for medical appointments that drives from Fort Nelson to Dawson Creek and back, with stops in Fort St. John on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
• Air travel from the Northern Rockies Regional Airport, mostly conducted through Central Mountain Air.

It also identifies informal carpooling and hitchhiking as options used by some residents for both local and regional travel.

The report says some residents expressed a desire for the Seniors’ Bus service to extend its hours and operate on weekends. 

On a regional level, meanwhile, respondents identified two key priorities: enhanced air travel options at the local airport and increased frequency of BC Bus North and Northern Health Connections trips.

“I have had specialist appointments that I have waited a long time for and decided to drive and take the risk,” one respondent said, “as the north bus and the northern health bus do not allow for same-day (or even next-day) return.”

When asked about “preferred transportation solutions that could benefit them personally and receive [municipal] support,” the report claims respondents prioritized four main options: a taxi service, a shuttle service connecting Fort Nelson to other nearby communities, improved air transportation and an internal shuttle system within the NRRM.

Currently, a community shuttle for the NRRM has already been designed, with the municipality waiting to hear back about potential funding for the service.

Other recommendations made by the report to help address residents’ needs include expanding the hours of the Seniors’ Bus, eventually expanding that work-in-progress shuttle service in partnership with BC Transit, and subsidizing a local taxi service.

To read the full report, look below.