The mayors of Langley Township and Abbotsford City took transit buses to Aldergrove June 24 to celebrate the success of the Abbotsford-Aldergrove connector bus since its launch last September.
Abbotsford Mayor George Ferguson and Township Mayor Kurt Alberts also took the opportunity to discuss common infrastructure issues over lunch in Aldergrove that day.
The #21 "Aldergrove Connector" bus is transporting an average of 95 passengers per weekday, or about 12 riders per service hour. The service has not experienced any trips without passengers.
ValleyMAX's #21 Aldergrove Connector provides a direct commute between Aldergrove and Abbotsford and links directly with the TransLink #502 bus service that runs west from Aldergrove to Surrey Central. The #21 service operates daily, except Sundays. There are seven round trips each weekday and four on Saturday.
Both Alberts and Ferguson expressed pleasure with the numbers of passengers they saw on their respective trips to Aldergrove that day.
"With the price of gas I think we're going to see a lot more people riding the buses," said Ferguson, noting that the joint Abbotsford-Mission transit service has seen a remarkable 21 per cent growth in ridership over the past year.
Ferguson said the Fraser Valley transit system is working with senior levels of government for funding for increased service levels - "we want to see a bus every 20 minutes" - as well as a new link to Chilliwack.
"Our new regional hospital and cancer centre opens August 24, and it's also important that we provide buses to the specialist services provided by Chilliwack Hospital, especially for the senior citizens who have trouble getting around," said Ferguson.