By Cheryl Jahn

Highway 16 Transit route renewed

Jan 13, 2022 | 2:49 PM

PRINCE GEORGE – Back in October of 2017, community members gathered in Burns Lake to celebrate the launch of Route 161, a transit bus that runs back and forth between Prince George and Burns Lake.

“The service began in 2017 as a result of the 2015 Provincial Action Plan for Highway 16,’ explains Michael Coulson, Transit Planner for the City of Prince George. “So the service is about five years old.”

That means the original five-year contract with the City has come to an end and Council recently agreed to renew another five-year agreement, which commits $50,000 per year for the next five years.

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When the matter of renewal came up at Council, there was no hesitation as there is a long and checkered history with Highway 16.

“Years ago, with the Wally Oppal review of the Highway of Tears, it was acknowledged that we need safe, reliable, affordable transportation for people around the North,” explains City Councillor Murry Krause. “Especially with Greyhound pulling out. it left a huge gap in terms of how people get around. And it wasn’t just about the Highway of Tears. It was about people having appointments in Prince George ort anywhere along the line.”

But, as with everything, COVID has had an impact on service.

“It’s operating at about 77% of pre-COVID levels. So, our ridership in pre-COVID was clearing about 5,000 riders a year. Last year, we did about 2,000. Actually, close to 3,000 and this year, it’s going to be stronger than that.”