Deep Cove residents may end up taking two buses where they used to take one if TransLink follows up on its proposal to shorten the C15's route during offpeak hours.
Currently, the C15 follows Mount Seymour Parkway before heading up Deep Cove Road. The new route would end at Indian River Drive, leaving passengers to transfer to the 211 or the 212 to get to Deep Cove.
The cut is one of six changes proposed by TransLink in an effort to maximize efficiency.
The transit provider held an open house at Parkgate Community Centre Feb. 6 to gauge community reaction. The meeting was sparsely attended according to North Vancouver Seymour ML A Jane Thornthwaite, who said she did her best to promote the meeting through Twitter and Facebook.
"When I was there, there were only six people there," Thornthwaite said. "What I would encourage people to do is get on TransLink's website and make your comments be known and your opinions be known if you use that service, because according to their numbers, not very many people use it."
During off-peak hours, the bus typically carries four to six passengers, routinely leaving as many as 20 empty seats.
TransLink's costs per boarded passenger average out to $1.34 throughout the system. On the C15, the cost per passenger is $1.72, exceeding the North Shore average of $1.65.
"Our goal is to balance the complex transportation needs of the communities we serve with the resources available," stated TransLink's chief operating officer Doug Kelsey in a press release.
TransLink has increased productivity by 3.4 per cent since 2010 through similar efficiency measures, according to a release from TransLink.
