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As part of the 2022 budget that was approved on December 13, the Town of Okotoks is pleased to announce that Okotoks Transit service will be expanding to seven days a week beginning January 1, 2022. This will allow Okotoks residents more mobility options and also aligns with the Town’s Social Wellness Framework to ensure Okotoks is a safe and connected community.
Monday to Friday service hours will be 5:30am - 11:30pm, increasing the service window by 30 minutes each day. Sunday and stat holiday service (except Christmas Day) will also be implemented. The hours for Saturday, Sunday and holidays will be 6am - 11:30pm. “Okotoks residents and Transit users have consistently expressed their desire for transit service hours and days to be increased. We are thrilled that we are able to offer this and to be able to provide an extra level of service to our community,” said David Gardner, Town of Okotoks Transit Specialist.
When purchasing single trip rides, the cost will increase to $3.25 each way; up to 30% discounts are available when purchasing tickets in bulk.
As of January 1, 2022, transit fares have changed as follows. Remember that the more rides you purchase in advance, the less you pay! Thank you for continuing to use the Okotoks On-Demand Transit service!
Okotoks On-Demand Transit Fares Fees as of Jan 1, 2021 Single Trip $3.00 10 Tickets (paper or online) $29.25 25 tickets (online only) $69.00 50 tickets (online only) $130.00 75 tickets (online only) $182.75 100 tickets (online only) $227.50 Children 5 and under FREE On Friday, October 15, 2021, Okotoks Transit will be upgrading on-demand technology in order to increase trip availability through the management of ride cancellations and no-shows. Currently, cancelled bookings and users that don’t show up account for 30% of total bookings; 25% of the cancellations are occurring within one hour of booking, which results in the loss of available capacity.
The new technology will monitor individual usage over a 30-day period. If a user has 10 or more bookings in this timeframe and cancels or does not show up for 40% or more of them within one hour of booking time, their ability to have multiple open bookings will be limited for seven days. At the beginning of the seven-day period, their cancellation/no-show history will be reset. During the seven-day period, they will be limited to two (2) simultaneously open bookings only. As one ride is completed, another one can be booked. After the 7-day period, unlimited bookings will be available again. If the limiting criteria are reached again, the process will repeat.
This upgrade is anticipated to reduce cancellation and no-show instances and increase overall available trip capacity at a time where we continue to experience demand higher than available supply. Thank you for your cooperation.
Okotoks, AB: Okotoks Town Council and administration are pleased to announce that the Okotoks On-Demand Transit program has been awarded the prestigious Minister’s Award for Municipal Excellence in the Service Delivery Innovation category.
“Receiving this award reinforces and recognizes the hard work and commitment that went into creating an innovative initiative; the first curb-to-curb on-demand shared public transit service of its kind in Canada,” said Deputy Mayor Florence Christophers.
“On behalf of Okotoks Town Council and administration, I’d like to congratulate everyone involved in the Okotoks On-Demand Transit program on winning this significant award. I commend you on your efforts and am so thrilled for your success. I also offer congratulations to the other winning municipalities: the City of Medicine Hat, Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo and the Towns of Devon and Bruderheim,” said Christophers.
Since 2002, the Minister’s Awards for Municipal Excellence program has encouraged municipalities to share their successes by recognizing accomplishments in the provision of municipal services in Alberta. Each year, municipalities, whether individually or in partnership with other organizations, highlight promising initiatives, new and unique approaches to issues, streamlined processes for existing practices and creative community partnerships. To learn more about the awards and this year’s winners, visit https://www.alberta.ca/ministers-awards-for-municipal-excellence.aspx.
The Okotoks Transit service aligns with Council’s commitment to provide residents with sustainable, flexible transportation options, and increases the opportunity to reduce carbon emissions.
The service, which launched on December 2, 2019 and operates Monday through Saturday from 6am to 11:30pm, has significantly improved the everyday lives of residents Okotoks. The program provides a customer-first service, increasing the ability for residents to move more freely around town, including youth, seniors, those with differing abilities, as well as residents who prefer not to use personal vehicles. It is also more cost-effective for a smaller town than a traditional fixed-route system. To date, the service has completed over 52,000 passenger trips at a consistently high service rating of over 96 percent. The Town is deeply committed to ensuring the transit program’s continued success. To accommodate demand, a fifth vehicle is expected later this year. Finally, our goal, as part of the Town’s Environmental Master Plan, is to grow local access to transit and increase transit trips by 25 percent by 2033.
The Town is excited to announce the launch of a shared e-scooter (micromobility) pilot program! While the Town will be providing the program framework, the program will be fully funded and operated by Bird Canada, who have provided 50 e-scooters to the Town at no cost. For more details on how to access, fees, where you can ride, age restriction and more, please click the button below.
The Town is pleased to announce that Okotoks Transit bulk ride credit purchasing will be available using the Okotoks Transit app beginning June 1, 2021! Once transit users login to their account, purchases can be made using a credit or debit card that has a Visa or MasterCard logo. Each time bulk ride credits are purchased with the app, a $3 per trip credit will be reflected in the user account. The actual charge to the users’ credit or debit card will correspond with the number of bulk tickets purchased, for example, 100 tickets will be $210. All fare pricing is available on the Transit website or in the app. An added benefit is that users will now be able to use the app to see their remaining bulk ride credits. Previously, the bulk ride credit purchase option was only available online through Shopify on the Transit website.
Click the button below for fare and ticket information.
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The new transit vehicles are on the road - check out this great video (click image) to learn about cool new features & more!! Book your ride today!
