A new bus route servicing the Hanlon Creek Business Park is part of the recommendation city staff is making to council.
But some members of council think the $910,000 annually it will cost the city to operate that route is too much at this point considering the amount of ridership it would get.
Council approved the purchase of five new busses in last year’s budget and is now deliberating where best to use them.
The $1.7 million a year it will cost to operate those five new busses will be part of the 2020 operating budget deliberations.
At Monday’s meeting of council’s Committee of the Whole, staff recommended how they would like to see those new busses used:
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One for a new Hanlon Creek Business Park route, which would start in September of 2020, would cost the city $910,000 in operating costs annually.
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One to stabilize Route 99, the mainline route through the heart of the city that “is often unable to stay on schedule,” as Transit manager Robin Gerus told council. It would add a net operating cost of $187,000.
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Improvements to the community bus, a service that has a north and south route, hitting specific destinations. It would have a net operating impact of $568,000.
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Two spare buses to fill in on routes throughout the city as needed. They would add $50,000 annually in operating costs to the system.
No final decision was made Monday. It now goes to full meeting of council, where more information will be provided to council, then it goes to budget discussion for decision.
Several councillors expressed concerns that the amount of operating cost being added to the amount of service provided just didn't add up.
"In three years we're talking about 85 more people riding our bus," coun. Dan GIbson said, at an added operating cost of $2.7 million.
Gibson called it "a very low rate of return."
Coun. Bob Bell said a new route wasn't needed until the area was more built up and there was more rider demand. He preferred another route be expanded to cover the area.
The city wants a revenue-to-cost ratio of 40 to 45 per cent. Deputy CAO Colleen Clack estimated it would take three years to build ridership and demand on a new Hanlon Creek route to get to that ratio.
A group representing 16 businesses employing 500 individuals in the Hanlon Creek Business Park delegated at council on Monday in support of the proposed new route.
They say the current lack of bus service impedes recruitment of employees and poses a safety hazard as people trek over the Laird Road overpass and get to work on areas that don't have sidewalks.
Delegate Morgan Malinski said they did their own survey and it showed 28 per cent of the 500 employees currently use the bus to get to work but 82 per cent would use the bus at least once a week if service was expanded.
"You can't put a price on safety," coun. Phil Allt said after her presentation.
