The City of Whitehorse claims its recent work to make public transit better is driving record-high ridership numbers.
The city set a record with more than 89,000 rides taken in May, according to a press release. That broke the previous record from the month prior. In April, there were more than 86,000 rides recorded.
Per the release, the city said it is making the transit system more modern using public feedback with a focus on making it more convenient, efficient and accessible. As part of its efforts to improve service for riders, new bus routes and schedules will come into play starting July 1.
New routes in the south end will replace routes 2, 3 and 5 affecting Riverdale, Copper Ridge and neighbouring areas, including new service for residents of Valleyview, as noted in the release.
The release notes there will be additional bus service connecting Riverdale, Yukon University and the Whitehorse airport to downtown during peak hours in the mornings and afternoons on weekdays, and a late-night drop-off service will be extending to weekends and holidays.
Bus services serving Range Road between Two Mile Hill Road and University Drive continue to be temporarily suspended when the new routes and schedules go into effect as road construction continues in the area.
"Routes 101 and 402 will have reduced service until phase 2 of the Range Road reconstruction project is complete. That work is expected to be complete by the second week of July," reads a release from the city.
The city said the latest work builds on changes made in 2023 that homed in on the city’s northern parts, including adding a Whistle Bend route.
In March, Mayor Laura Cabott said recent survey results indicated that how often the bus comes, the time of day that it arrives and service reliability were the top three concerns for respondents. The cost of the service ranked last.
The survey results are relevant because, as the result of trying to implement its commitments under the territorial Liberal-NDP confidence and supply agreement, the Yukon government had pledged $1.5 million over three years under the notion that it would make the city’s transit fare free. The city found that amount is insufficient to cover the cost of dropping fares.
In late 2023, city council voted to leave the money earmarked for that fiscal year in Yukon government hands and asked that it be used to purchase transit passes for those in need.
At its June 24 meeting, Whitehorse city council voted unanimously to approve a budget amendment allowing for the purchase of new transit buses including by using a $250,000 contribution from the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program, a federal government fund.
Coun. Mellisa Murray clarified that this would both replace buses and add more to the city fleet in support of the new transit route plan.
A report presented to councillors at the city’s June 17 standing committees meeting notes that the city is set to retire two buses at the end of their service lives in 2025. Projects covered under the budget amendment are the replacement of those buses for $1.4 million and the purchase of three additional buses for $2.1 million.
— With files from Jim Elliot
Contact Dana Hatherly at dana.hatherly@yukon-news.com
