At today’s Council meeting, County Council supported expanding County Connector service to Saturdays and adding an additional stop, based on feedback from the recent community survey.

The County Connector Advisory Board will present the proposed enhancements to the five partnering municipalities, and if approved, these changes will take effect February 1, 2020. Alberta Transportation has approved the proposed service changes. Any associated costs from the changes would be covered by the existing operational grant funding provided by Alberta Transportation.

The changes would include two new Saturday trips between the City of Grande Prairie, Sexsmith and Clairmont, as well as a Saturday trip from City of Grande Prairie, Beaverlodge and Wembley. The service improvements also include a new stop on the west side of Grande Prairie around several commercial and retail businesses.

Based on survey results, recommendations were made to eliminate trips with the lowest ridership, moving them to Saturdays instead. This would allow enhancements to the service while effectively using the grant funding allocated for the pilot project. Passenger rates will stay the same. 

“We listened to our community, and Council supports making changes to ensure the County Connector best meet their needs,” said Reeve Leanne Beaupre. “Our priority is to provide an affordable transportation option that moves the most people as effectively and efficiently as possible.”