Ridership on transit buses in Castlegar was up an amazing 61 per cent in 2011/12. The remarkable growth was reported by BC Transit in their annual report. Castlegar was easily first in growth in BC, well ahead of second place Cowichan Valley and Salt Spring Island.
"That's great news," said Castlegar city councillor Sue Heaton-Sherstobitoff. "It looks like a lot of students, a lot of people working, just a lot of everyday folks are taking public transit which cuts down on our carbon footprint. So that's great news. We came out number one in all the province. So well down to all the residents."
Heaton-Sherstobitoff said the increased ridership was due to several factors including awareness.
"It's more awareness and the routes were changed and altered," she said. "I think it's more user friendly."