The city of Port Moody will apply to TransLink to operate a shuttle bus this summer connecting the Inlet Centre and Moody Centre areas.
At its meeting Tuesday, city council endorsed a staff recommendation to proceed with the 10-week pilot program and directed the city’s finance committee to come up with ways to fund its $50,000 cost.
If the service is approved by the TransLink board, the city will contract an independent operator to provide and drive the shuttle buses that can hold 20 to 24 passengers, or 10 to 16 passengers plus two to four wheelchairs for an accessible bus. The service, operating from June through August, would run every 20 to 30 minutes on Fridays from 4 p.m . to midnight, and from 2 p.m. to midnight on Saturdays and Sundays. It would likely make stops at places such as Newport Village, Port Moody Public Library, Rocky Point Park/Brewers’ Row and the Moody Centre and Inlet Centre SkyTrain stations.
Coun. Barbara Junker said the shuttle could provide some much needed relief for traffic congestion along Murray Street, especially during busy summer weekends when events are scheduled at Rocky Point Park.
“We need to do something,” she said of the traffic snarls that often have to be managed by extra police. “Let’s find a way to move them in and not use cars.”
But Coun. Hunter Madsen said the service would be a “pretty inefficient use of taxpayers dollars.”
He said even if the service operates at full capacity for the duration of the pilot program, each trip would end up costing the city $4 to $6 per passenger.
“At a time when we’re struggling to keep tax increases down, I think we have more material uses for $50,000,” said Madsen, who, along with Coun. Rob Vagramov, voted against the project.
Mayor Mike Clay emphasized the program is just a trial, to determine if it might be viable in the long run.
“We try it out,” he said. “The surest way not to change anything is not to do anything.”
