The community of Cochrane will board the town's first transit service on Oct. 7 with the debut of COLT (Cochrane On-demand Local Transit.
The 21-seat bus made an appearance at the Cochrane Farmers' Market on Sept. 14, where citizens were able to step inside and ask questions about the bus, the soon-to-be available app, where the pick up and drop points will be and everything in between.
"Personally, for myself, I'll never use it unless I become a senior citizen and I can't drive but I think it's something the town needs for sure," said town citizen Lois Irons when asked for her thoughts on the bus.
"I think it's a great service for the town. It's very necessary and I'm glad to see it's affordable and the quicker it comes the better," said Orvil Lammle, another long-time Cochranite. "With it being free, I think it's a good way to get people involved in using it, get them used to it and people will either be comfortable with it or won't want to use it when the time comes."
Brent O'Rae has two kids and said the bus will be very useful for families across town.
"My first thought is it looked good. Very innovative and it's nice to have town buses rather than the traditional approach ... it should be more cost effective than the big city and is hopefully better than Calgary's transit system," O'Rae said.
"Me and my family plan on using it. Being from town, I think it would be a little easier than getting kids in and out in the traditional vehicles. It should be good and I definitely plan on using it."
COLT will start with a free launch to make sure the technology is operating efficiently and is scheduled to run free until the New Year on Jan. 1 where the full paid service will begin. There will be 126 stops in Cochrane ranging from Gleneagles to Sunset to Fireside and everything in between. The bus will run Monday to Friday from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturday's from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. There will be no service on Sundays. COLT fares are currently priced at $2.50 per ride but monthly passes will become available in the near future. Kids under five ride for free. The bus is also wheelchair accessible with one wheelchair spot on each bus.
Transit will start within town limits for the first year but could potentially extend to LRT stations and post secondary institutions in Calgary should all go according to plan. People can use the website, app or call COLT directly to request a bus at a specific stop at a specific time and buses can also be requested as early as a week in advance or as late as just minutes in advance.
The COLT bus will be back at the Cochrane Farmers' Market on Sept. 21 and 28 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Those interested in more information on the bus can visit www.ridecolt.ca
