Months of planning and anticipation paid off for the city, as they finally rolled out the new Cold Lake Transit System in August.
“I'm very excited, it was a big team project. Council gave us the budget decision in December of last year and in eight months we're ready to launch the transit service,” said Azam Khan, general manager of infrastructure services following the ribbon cutting. “There were moments of frustration but it's a day to celebrate and enjoy, we have a new icon on the streets.”
Residents watched the details of the new transit system unfold starting in early 2015 when the city solidified its promise by purchasing six buses from Calgary Transit Authority. At a cost of approximately $44,000 for the buses and additional tires, the price came in at a fraction of the $200,000 capital budget allowance allocated for buses.
“Having the extra numbers in the fleet not only allows us to consider expanding the service, but also provides our staff with the flexibility they will need when it comes to maintenance,” CAO Kevin Nagoya said at the time.
This isn't the first time the city has taken a stab at offering public transit. The unsuccessful system ran in 2004-2005 and incurred a deficit of $89,000 between Sept. 13 and Dec. 31, 2004, and a $22,300 deficit between Jan. 1 and Feb.7.
“The route is much simpler than before and we have a total commitment from council that this is the route we're going to stick with. It's only because we have a lot more money to play with…if it wasn't for ID 349 there would be no way we'd be doing transit,” said Mayor Craig Copeland at the kick-off of the transit service.
This time around, the city is running two public transit buses with one completing a loop in the north and the other in the south. Driven by third-party contractors Southland, the buses run from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Sunday.
City council also decided in August to construct a transit shelter that will act as the transfer station in front of the Tri City Mall where the two buses meet. While the concrete platform is completed, they are still waiting on the covering to finish off the approximately $400,000 project.
To get a feel of how many people will continually use the city's public transit, council voted in favour of offering it for free – a decision they'll be continuing with in 2016 as decided during budget deliberations.
“We saved a ton of money by buying used buses, so we're okay with losing some money if it's free. We just want to gain the rider ship and fine tune the route if needed,” explained Copeland at the time of the decision.
With the new transit system up and running for a few months, the city introduced their newest addition to the service: a Kinosoo shuttle bus.
“The ski hill is a very popular destination in the winter, but accessibility can be a challenge for busy families or younger people who want to make the trip on their own,” said Copeland.
Officially starting on Dec. 19, the Kinosoo shuttle will run to coincide with the snow resort's opening, beginning of the half-day rate and closing time. Unlike the regular transit system, which is currently being offered for free, the Kinosoo Ridge shuttle service has a $5 fee for one-way and round-trip.
With the start of a public transit service, Copeland expressed that it shows progress for the City of Cold Lake.
“We're becoming a city, we call ourselves a city and this is one way of showing we're a city – by having transit.”