At their most recent meeting, Kimberley City Council approved execution of the 2025-26 Annual Operating Agreement with BC Transit for the Kimberley Transit System.
Manager of Planning Services Troy Pollock explained that this is an annual occurrence. There is a Transit Service Agreement in place with BC Transit, which has effectively replaced the former Master Operating Agreement.
"That overall agreement continues year to year, but then there’s an annual operating agreement that is considered for renewal each year and really use reconfirms the rights and responsibilities of the City and BC Transit in terms of providing service and also helps to confirm the service levels and the projected revenues and cost structure around the service," Pollock explained.
Pollock added that staff gets a three-year budget outlook from BC Transit earlier in the year, which helps them prepare the annual budget and financial plan, with this agreement coming a little later in the year, usually around the time they are wrapping up the budget. This means this is the last chance to see if there are any adjustments needed, which this year, there were not.
Pollock also told Council that the year-one expansion proposal — part of a three-year expansion plan Memorandum of Understanding — to the Route 22 Kimberley-Cranbrook Commuter service, was declined.
"Unfortunately this year we’ve not been successful, our request for expansion there has not been approved for expansion under the wider provincial budget," he said. "There will be a chance again this fall to reconsider that expansion plan, whether we want to ask for the same service to be expanded, or to be considered for expansion in the following year, or if there’s any other changes in there."
