Port Moody staff are recommending the city proceed with a pilot program this summer for a local transit service along an 8-km loop that will link Inlet Centre with Rocky Point Park and and Moody Centre.
The shuttle buses would run every 20 to 30 minutes, depending on traffic. The service would operate on Fridays from 4 p.m. to midnight, and from 2 p.m. to midnight on Saturdays and Sundays for 10 weeks from June to August. Stops being considered include:
• Port Moody Public Library;
• Inlet Park field;
• Rocky Point Park/Brewers Row;
• St. Johns Street and Clarke Street in Moody Centre;
• Moody Centre and Inlet Centre SkyTrain stations;
• Newport Village/Eagle Ridge Hospital;
• and Suter Brook Village/Klahanie.
In his report to council, Port Moody’s manager of infrastructure engineering services, Stephen Judd, said the preferred option of contracting an independent operator to provide and drive the shuttle buses that can hold 20 to 24 passengers — or 10-16 passengers plus two to four wheelchairs for an accessible bus — would cost about $50,000 for the duration of the program. Some of that money would go towards the cost of installing signs and shuttle stops.
Judd noted there are two local providers available to operate the shuttle but all trolley bus operators are already booked.
The pilot program could be funded from the city’s gas tax reserve. The report noted there is no money available from TransLink for such independent services.
While most of the proposed route for the shuttle can be duplicated using existing transit services, Judd said that would require at least four transfers of buses and it wouldn’t be as frequent as a dedicated shuttle, especially on weekends.
“TransLink does not achieve a service level as high as that being proposed by the pilot program,” said the report.
Council is scheduled to consider the proposal at its meeting tonight. If approved, the shuttle service would then have to get the assent of TransLink’s board at its meeting March 29.
