Kamloops staff eyeing nearly 60,000 hours of new transit service by 2029

“If provincial funding is approved, the estimated annual net municipal share of the service expansion is $2,187,797 for conventional service and $138,943 for custom service, starting in January 2027.”

According to the report, the city’s share of the total cost of $2,326,740 will be funded through taxation. It’ll mean an extra 1.34 per cent — or $45 — in property taxes for the average Kamloops household.

“By signing the memorandum of understanding, the city confirms its intent to commit funds in 2027 to expand transit services,” the report said, noting the province will announce whether it will fund the improvements in early 2026.

“If council approves these expansions, then we would add these increases into the five-year plan as soon as we receive BC Transit approval.”

Proposed 2027 expansion details

Kamloops staff are proposing to add 12,000 hours of service on two new bus routes — 98 and 99 — in January 2027. Route 98 (Valleyview to TRU) will see 7,000 hours of service, while Route 99 (Southwest Loop) will see 5,000 hours of service to start.

“[Route 98] is contingent on the construction of a new transit exchange in Valleyview, which is currently scheduled for construction in 2026,” the report said. “Route 99 would provide service between Lower and Upper Sahali, Aberdeen, Mount Dufferin, Southgate, and Thompson Rivers University.”

“Key destinations [on Route 99] include Thompson Rivers University, Sahali Secondary School, and Aberdeen Mall.”

Staff are also proposing to add 4,600 hours of service on the existing Route 10 (North Shore TRU Express) which connects the university with the North Shore Exchange at Northills Mall. According to staff, 2,600 hours will go weekday frequency and span improvements while the other 2,000 hours will introduce new weekend service.

There are also plans to introduce 5,000 hours of new transit service on the North Shore to serve Kamloops Airport and Ord Road with light-duty buses. Efforts to introduce this bus route have been underway for the past couple of years.

A plan to add an additional 5,800 hours towards frequency and span upgrades on Routes 5 (Pineview), 16 (Juniper Ridge), and 17 (Dallas) will also be resubmitted for provincial approval. The city has already voiced its support for this expansion, but it was not approved by the provincial government earlier this year.

There is also a plan to add another 1,100 hours to maintain on-time performance “due to significantly increased ridership on core routes” in Kamloops. Staff are also proposing an additional 2,500 hours of handyDART service to align with growing demand.

Summary of planned transit expansions proposed for January 2027. (Image Credit: City of Kamloops)

In May, the Province approved the addition of 8,000 hours of service on Routes 1 (Tranquille), 3 (Westsyde), and 7 (Aberdeen) in January next year to restore service levels.

“We’ve also been approved for 1,300 service hours to extend handyDART weekend service to align with conventional weekend service as well as introduce handyDART service on stat holidays,” Transportation Engineer Nii Noi Akeutteh said in May.

Bus fares in Kamloops were also increased this month, with plans for fare increases also set to take effect in Sept. 2027 and Sept. 2029.

Future expansions in 2028 and 2029

Kamloops council is also being asked to approve transit expansions that are only expected to take effect in 2028 and 2029.

In January 2028, staff proposed adding 5,000 hours of service on a new Route 8 (Battle) as well as 3,000 hours of frequency and span improvements on Route 1 (Tranquille) and Route 9 (Gleneagles).

There is also a plan to add another 1,100 hours of on-time performance improvements as well as another 2,500 hours of handyDART service.

In January 2029, staff are also proposing to add another 17,100 hours of conventional and custom transit service.

It includes Phase 2 of the Route 98 (Valleyview to TRU) and Route 99 (Southwest Loop) routes at 5,000 and 3,000 hours respectively as well as 1,500 hours of new frequency and span improvements on Route 5 (Pineview) to service the new arena multiplex in Dufferin.

While details remain limited, there are also plans to introduce 4,000 hours of transit service using new road network connections for Qu’Appelle Boulevard and Rose Hill Road to Juniper Ridge, and Copperhead Drive to Aberdeen.

There is also a plan to an additional 1,100 hours of on-time performance improvements as well as another 2,500 hours of handyDART service in 2029.

Summary of planned transit expansions proposed for 2028 and 2029 (Image Credit: City of Kamloops)

According to the report, the proposed expansions in 2028 and 2029 will cost the city a little over $2 million. That would mean an extra 0.41 per cent ($14) and 0.62 per cent ($22) in property taxes, respectively, for the average Kamloops household.

“Signing the memorandum of understanding confirms that expansion priorities for the Year 2 and Year 3 fiscal years align with the city’s expectations,” the report stated. “It does not confirm the intent to commit to these items until the respective 2027 and 2028 memorandums of understanding are signed.”

You can find the staff report as well as more details about the proposed transit expansions here.

by Victor Kaisar

Kamloops staff eyeing nearly 60,000 hours of new transit service by 2029

Proposed 2027 expansion details

Future expansions in 2028 and 2029

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