A6 - The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, June 26, 1996 Bus schedule, fares change on Tuesday NEW BUS fares, routes and a new schedule go into effect here July 2. B.C. Transit officials hope the im- proved service and routes will lead ta better bus ridership statistics here. The key changes include splitting the bench routes into two runs, addi- tion of a Friday evening service, and improved service in Thornhill. “T's going ta make travel by transit faster and easier for our residents,’’ Said Mayor Jack Talstra. Thornhill riders also get a break wilh the elimination of the two-zone fare system, in favour of just a single zone, Prices generally bump up to the old two-zone level. Adulls will pay $1.25, while seniors and students will pay $1.00 to ride anywhere, Monthly passes will be. $26 ‘for adults, or $20 for students. A book of 20 tickets can be bought for $24, or $19 for seniors and students. Another change makes college stu- dents also qualify for student:rates, in addition to school students. “Tn the second half of 1995, Terrace had the biggest increase in ridership of any northern community transit system —- about 18 per cent,’’ said Kitimat-Stikine regional —_ district chairman Joanne Monaghan. ‘‘At the same time, the schedule has had no major changes since 1992 and it was drastically in need of an overhaul, With the improved service, we're ex- pecting another jump in ridership that will again increase our cost recovery.’? BUS CHANGES M The #2 Halliwell is split into two routes (#1 College and #2 Hal- liwell) to shorten the length of the existing loop and ‘provide more direct service, particularly between the bench. and: the high schools, rouled via Lanfear Hill. College stu-. dents are also expected to bencfil fron the ‘change. M@ The two new bench routes, which provide service immediately north of downtown, will replace the #1 Soucie route. Service there is to improve, wilh more travel and greater frequency in both directions. iW Just about ever second trip on the #3 Keith route will operate in the reverse direction to provide more direct service to all parts of the route, Mi Friday evening service will be introduced from 7 to 11 pm. IVll provide a travel option for those who want to go downtown for shop- ping, movics or entertainment. @ Elimination of the two-zone fare system, with fares generally bumping up to the old two-zone rate. In the past, fares paid for as little as 17 per cent of the cost of operating the Terrace Regional Transit System, That cost-recovery rate has since improved to 25.6 per cent, and opera- ‘ tors hope that will increase further as more riders take advantage of the im- proved service, The system’s boost in revenue, how- ever, may be partly due to the resigna- tion Jast year of a former employee who had been stealing coin from the system. “Tn all honesty it might be a minor factor,” said B.C. Transit spakesman Chris Foord, , Foord was unable to say bow much was stolen. “T guess you'll never know exact numbers on something like that,’’ he said. Since ridership estimates are based ou reventoecollected, that makes some of the numbers fuzzy, But based on driver observations, he’s confident ridership numbers are up significantly in spite of the internal theft incident, Another change in the works is the addition of a second handyDART van. The existing one is completely booked every day of the week and new trip re- quests often have to be turned down. The cily is still discussing cost and feasibility, The changes were brought in with the help of a 12-person Transit Ad- visory Committee, set up by city council. The committee reviewed surveys thal had been done on the buses and others that were taken at the high schools and college, Nechako groups take ‘baby step’ VANDERHOOF — The first-ever mecting of almost every Nechako River inter- est group ended June 15 with the various sides un- able to agree on where lo meet next, The meeting at the Stoney Creek Potlach House was historic because it brought logether Alcan, A River Forever, Kitimat citizens, government representatives and commercial fishermen :+--dik-one room to discuss the ~" ‘future of the Nechako. “Tt seemed like we talked about so many things, but it didn’t produce anything concrete, As fatas resolving any issues, it was a baby slep,”’ said A River Forever committee member Janet Romain, The meeting was the result of a five-year. process in- volving the Fraser River Basin Management Board —— mandated ta resolve con- lenlious water-use issues in the entire Fraser Basin. Since ithe... FRBMB’s mandate will nn aut this” year, the Board wanted to Mountains — to gel talks started, said chair lona Campagnolo. Currently, Alcan siphons off a yearly average of 70 per cent of the Nechako River through the Coastal mins their aluminum smelter — in Kitimat and generate elec- tricity for BC Hydro. Many groups say there is not enough cool, ~ fast- flowing water in the Nechako for the river to Support. their needs,. while . . “Alcan retorts: that not only ~ SOUND do goverment agreements allow them access to more water than they are even currently taking, but that they are not adversely af- fecting the river. In the end, people could not agree on whether to strike a volunteer group to sleer the next lalks or where to hold the next meeting. Other Kitimat residents said they felt they bad made the trip out to the Nechako region and it was time for Nechako valley residents to visit Kitimat for talks. SYSTEMS © TERRACE CO-OP Department Store NOTICE TERRACE CO-OP wil be closed MONDAY, July 1 In observance of CANADA DAY. Have A Safe & Happy Canada Day From The Co-op Management & Staff. CO-OP Terrace CO. OP | ~ ~ Food: Floor - Holiday Weekend Hours ieee June : 28 Presents =NWOOD HOME AUDIO 96 ¥ UNPLUGGED V-896 AN Surround with Dolby Pro Logic All the features of the V-596 Stereo Output; X2; Surround 7OWX2, Centre 20W, Rear 30W Colby Pro Logic surround sound; Dolby 3 stereo; Built-in test tone éneralor for easy set-up: centre speaker plus: adjustable culput levels. : ‘center 100W JL-464 3-Way Speaker System 25cm woofer, 8 cm cone midrange, 2.5cm dome tweeter; Floor standing system with bass reflex enclosure; 140W maximum power handling; Magnetically shielded; Fixed grill DP-J1070 100 Disc CD Player Two 50-dise slide racks with disc change during play; Link up to 3 units to expand disc storage; .4-disc carousel interface; Dual 1-bit DAC’s with DPAC jitter control; 2 mode Delete Random; 32 track program memory; full function remote control. | optional. $17 79. i — Vidao in and 1 video out, KR-V5580 Audio/Vidoe Surround Receiver with Dolby Pro Logic 5 channel amplifier; sterea 80W X 2; surround SOW X 2, SOW centre, 40W rear: Adjustabla rear gt delay; Line Straight Signal Routing for direct CD Sound; Built-in test tone generator for easy set-up; 2 1 video monitor-out terminal for easy cannection-te your TV & NCR; 4 audio inputs; AM/FM tuner with 20 random presets, full function remote Qual i-bit DAS; 8-times oversampling; Oil damped suspension for increased shock resistance: Bass Boost; Intro Scan; Random Play; 24 track program memory; Auto recharge capability; Low battery warning indicator; Auto Power off DPC-361 Portable CD Player ‘ » Open-type a 4 fe : Shits | VISA enecamama| _ 1-800-638-1252 _ Se.