It’s the final day of the On-It bus connection between Cochrane and Brentwood Station, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the end of other regional transportation solutions.
The last two trips into Calgary took place this morning, and the final return bus is expected back in town at 6:05 p.m. Just one passenger used the early morning departure.
The On-it Service used a smaller bus for its first run this morning on its last day of offering service to the Brentwood Station. It pulled one carrying one passenger. Cochrane Now/Noel Edey
The final On-It trip into downtown Calgary will operate on June 30.
Southland Transportation Ltd. announced the end of the service in April, largely due to ridership levels that were not high enough to make it sustainable.
Falcon expands service
Following the news, Falcon Transportation Solutions has stepped in for a second attempt at providing a daily Cochrane-Calgary connector and has since announced an expansion of daily trips to and from the city.
The company is operating independently of the Town of Cochrane, without a service contract like the one Southland had for On-It.
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Other operators showing interest
During a performance update on local transit, Cochrane Transit Program Lead Adam Mildenberger said other transportation companies are monitoring the situation.
“I have had other conversations with other private transit providers in the industry as well. A large service provider reached out to me, and they’re internationally known and they have service provided in the City of Calgary. They’re interested in it. They’re monitoring what Falcon is doing and seeing if there’s an opportunity for them to insert themselves.”
Mildenberger said he has also had discussions with a local shuttle provider.
“I don’t believe this is the end of the story for regional transit, especially with the town administration starting the process of developing a scope for a future transportation master plan. That’s going to be an opportunity where we can integrate transit into that transportation master plan and what regional transit looks like as well.”
Focus remains on local transit
Matt Knox, the town’s director of social development, said priority has been given to improving service for local commuters.
“If we were to prioritize a bus, a COLT bus to go to the city, we could easily do that,” Knox told council. “There’s trade-offs. And I think that’s the real piece of the conversation with council and probably our citizens — do you want to prioritize a bus into the city over providing coverage to the citizens in the town?
“And when we were looking at the strategic objectives from that five-year plan, one of the key priorities was to focus on getting it right inside the town first.”