One of the most debated issues facing Town of Cochrane council in recent years has passed a critical milestone as they received and endorsed the new COLT Transit Plan with the slogan "Transit that Moves for You" at their regular meeting on Feb.24.
The COLT Transit Plan will serve as a guide for deploying operating improvements in 2025 to address critical challenges and set the framework for transit network improvements up to 2030.
The 2025 transit plan implementation represents the initial stage of a broader five-year plan to enhance COLT services and expand transit accessibility. This stage includes the introduction of a fixed-route network with three primary routes.
The proposal does not change the current service span, and no additional service hours will be added in 2025.
So riders might not notice any dramatic changes in 2025.
The proposed COLT Fixed Route network includes three routes that will operate Monday to Friday from approximately 6:30 am to 6:30 pm: Route 1 is Sunset Ridge to the SLS Centre via downtown; Route 2 is Heritage Hills to downtown via Glenbow, and Route 3 is Fireside to downtown via SLS Centre.
To launch the new services, a three- to six-month work-back timeline is proposed. The soft launch of service is expected to occur in early June. This will allow the Town and the contractor to test the service in real-world conditions, with an expectation that things may change over the following weeks and months.
While schedule and service design details are finalized, the Town will begin developing promotional and educational materials including: new content for the COLT website, including finalized stop locations, service information and schedules once they are confirmed through testing, updated rider brochures, including service information and guidance on riding the Fixed Route and On-Request services, marketing materials for advertising, including social media marketing campaigns, print and digital advertising, signage and others as appropriate.
Existing on-demand services will be modified into distinct On-Request zones that will function similarly to how the existing service operates, but will prioritize individuals with disabilities for door-to-door service and connections to the COLT Fixed Route network at either the SLS Centre or the Station in downtown.
Existing On-It services will continue to operate as planned by Southland Transportation.
The study predicts ridership will grow by up to 17 per cent from 2024 levels, with an average estimate of approximately 83,250 riders by the end of 2025.
To support the continued growth and sustainability of public transit Administration is exploring funding opportunities through the Rural Transit Solutions Fund.
Further, it will help guide future service decisions that respond to demand and long-term development, support funding requests to higher orders of government.
The report summarizes the findings from two rounds of public and community engagement completed in 2024.
The 2025 service design aligns with the 2025 budget and the objective of maintaining the service hours the same as in 2024. The service network in 2025 is designed to attain rapid improvements in frequency, reliability and service quality while setting the stage for future improvements once funding and infrastructure are available.
The 2025 network plan was designed to implement select fixed-route services that align with the highest demand travel patterns observed in the 2024 network. These fixed routes would reduce the demand for the on-demand service, improving wait times and reducing failed trip request rates.
The report recommended the Town procure four vehicles for COLT Fixed Route in 2026 in order to provide sufficient service by 2030 and to replace the existing aging fleet of COLT vehicles.
Depending on configuration, three vehicles could cost from $390,000 to $520,000.
Funding for capital and operating deficits comes from a mix of property tax revenue and grants from the Federal and Provincial governments.
In addition to voting in favour of endorsing the plan, Council also directed Administration to submit an application to the federal Rural Transit Solutions Fund.
Administration reported the total cost of the plan to the Town over four years would be $1,436,083, with a total benefit of $7,180,416.
There is no impact to the 2025 budget. Any future expansions in service or requests for more funding would have to be approved by council in future budgetary discussions – something Coun. Tara McFadden was careful to clarify on the record before the vote.
“But the priority of this right now is to make transit work better in Cochrane through fixed routes, within the existing budget scope,” she said. “And we’ll lean into other ways to expand the levels of service in future years.”
