FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 21, 2018
SOUTHLAND Transportation Ltd. will continue the Calgary Regional Partnership’s (CRP) vision of providing a regional transit service that links the communities of Okotoks, High River, Turner Valley and Black Diamond with the City of Calgary. The ownership transition process between the CRP and SOUTHLAND Transportation is well underway with an official handover date of March 1, 2018. With this change in ownership and management comes an enhanced commuter service that blends On-It Regional Transit and SOUTHLAND’s existing services. This amalgamation will provide Okotoks riders with more choices and offer a continuation of service to the communities of High River, Black Diamond, and Turner Valley.
SOUTHLAND’s Regional Director, Jonathan Weal, says, “Since the announcement of SOUTHLAND Transportation’s acquisition of On-It from the CRP we stated we want to minimize the impact upon existing customers. We feel that by maintaining the stops in High River, Turner Valley, and Black Diamond and offering a direct to downtown Calgary service from Okotoks we will attract new riders that wouldn’t have considered using a commuter service before.” He adds, “Traffic is increasing on the routes into Calgary every day. This service offering gives commuters in Okotoks, High River, Black Diamond and Turner Valley the opportunity to arrive at their workplace relaxed and ready to start their workday.”
Changes that take effect March 1, 2018:
- 5 commuter buses running direct from Okotoks to downtown Calgary. These buses will stop at convenient LRT locations in the free fare zone for those who would like to access the LRT as they previously did with the former On-It schedule.
- 1 commuter bus taking passengers from High River, Black Diamond, and Turner Valley direct to downtown Calgary.
- 1 commuter bus running from the Anderson LRT to Okotoks.
- Tickets and passes available for purchase online or onboard via Interac debit or credit; tickets and passes will no longer be sold through retail outlets.
- New options for the types of tickets and passes available for purchase.
- MyBusStop, an app that will allow customers to track the commuter bus in real-time.
SOUTHLAND will honour tickets that were purchased prior to February 16, 2018, until March 31, 2018, or offer refunds for these tickets until March 16, 2018. To obtain a refund please email onitsupport@southland.ca.
A public survey is available for potential commuter riders in the Calgary region who would like to provide feedback on what type of service offerings they would like to see in their community: bit.ly/2018commuter
SOUTHLAND Transportation Ltd. has operated school, charter, commuter, and specialized transportation buses throughout Alberta and in Saskatchewan for over 45 years. Since 1994 it has offered weekday Cochrane and Okotoks commuter service to and from downtown Calgary, totaling over 100,000 trips a year.