The second phase of the County Connector, a transit service funded by the Rural Transportation Pilot Program, will officially launch in the west side of the County of Grande Prairie starting next week.

February 4 will be the first day of service that connects Wembley, Beaverlodge and Hythe to the City of Grande Prairie three days per week. The project successfully launched on December 5, 2018 with Phase One providing public transportation between the Town of Sexsmith, the Hamlet of Clairmont and the City of Grande Prairie.

This Rural Transportation Pilot Project has received $640,000 in Provincial funding for operations, over two years, through the Alberta Transportation Rural Transportation Pilot Program, plus GreenTrip funding to help purchase a bus. The City of Grande Prairie will be operating the service for the County over the duration of the pilot program.

Phase Two of the service will operate on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, excluding statutory holidays. On Monday and Friday, the morning service begins in Beaverlodge at 9:18 a.m., then travels to Wembley and arrives in the City of Grande Prairie by 10:08 a.m. The afternoon service leaves Grande Prairie at 3:00 p.m., stopping in Wembley and ending in Beaverlodge at 3:52 p.m. On Wednesday, the service begins in Hythe at 9:00 a.m. and ends in Hythe with the last stop at 4:10 p.m. The rest of the schedule remains unchanged.

The fare for the County Connector is $5 for a one-way trip, while children age 11 and under ride for free. Preloaded SUPERPASS smart cards for all County Connector routes are available for purchase at additional locations along Phase Two, including the Wembley, Beaverlodge and Hythe town offices and the Philip J. Currie Dinosaur Museum. Riders can take advantage of two official Park & Ride locations, with designated parking spots at the Philip J. Currie Dinosaur Museum and the Beaverlodge Town Office.

For more details, including route maps, schedules and SUPERPASS ticket purchasing information, visit www.countygp.ab.ca/connector.

“Our government is excited to see the second phase of this important project launch, connecting even more communities in the Grande Prairie region to family and friends, jobs, shopping and medical appointments. The County Connector is a great example of how our Rural Transportation Pilot Project grant program is helping to provide rural Albertans with affordable, efficient and environmentally-sustainable transportation options.” – Brian Mason, Minister of Transportation

“The County is proud to be collaborating with the communities of Wembley, Beaverlodge, Hythe and the City of Grande Prairie on the second phase of the County Connector pilot project, which will continue to serve the residents of our region by providing affordable, efficient and environmentally sustainable transportation.” – Leanne Beaupre, County of Grande Prairie Reeve

Information provided by the County of Grande Prairie.