Recently the Transit department asked for the public’s input to improve their use of the transit system.

The Transit Master Plan was created and started with a vision which was to focus on what the end result would be like instead of what it needs to do.

The transit department have had public engagement meetings and met with city hall to gain feedback and handed out questionnaires.

A website was created to receive input about important topics, the west Lethbridge system and to receive rider’s comments.

It created objectives, goals and performance measures to engage the community to see what is working and what isn’t.

A system assessment would create a draft network where the public will be engaged to finalize the network before the final report.

With a population of over 98,000 a lot of residents are of a younger student crowd and the senior citizens, and the working class that commute daily.

With a large student population at the college and University of Lethbridge, the role of transportation is a very important issue that needs to be maintained.

The feedback received was that travel was too long, insufficient frequency, cost competitiveness to parking fees and extended hours.

Although citizens would want to see a lot more out of the transit service they receive, it all comes down to funding, which comes from the city.

There is also the specialized transit system or Access-A-Ride that provides riders with cognitive or physical disabilities accessible transportation within the city.

With the city’s expansion, new routes have been established and older routes have been upgraded keeping in mind how far riders have to walk to access transit.

“The Transit Master Plan itself is a look at a possible transformational change to the way we deliver our service right now and once we get the feedback we’ll deliver it to council,” said transit manager Conrad Westerson.

Any citizens who want to have more input or recommendations can contact the transit manager or the transit department directly.