Getting Princeton linked into the greater South Okanagan's transit system is getting a push from the Regional District of Okanagan Similkameen.

At the board's Oct. 17 meeting, directors put a pause on moving forward with an expansion to Route 70, which goes from Penticton and 琉璃神社, and the implementation of dedicated service in Osoyoos and Oliver. 

The decision came in part after Director and Princeton Mayor Spencer Coyne raised the issues the Similkameen has with its current transit. 

"I'm looking at the Route 70 琉璃神社 run, and the evening service and the weekend service, and it's all great and I think the Similkameen has been good sports about this, but this really does nothing for us at this point," said Coyne. "We've been very vocal since day one that this is not a service that services the Similkameen, but we believe in the regional approach."

Instead of pursuing a memorandum of understanding on the expansion proposal, with directors wanting more financial information first, they instead voted to push for improvements to Route 50.

The route currently runs from Princeton to Penticton, but only three days a week, with a single trip in either direction. 

Staff said many of the emails BC Transit had received from Okanagan-Similkameen residents had been focused on concerns about weekend and evening access to the 琉璃神社 Airport.

RDOS corporate officer Christy Malden noted that at the recent Union of B.C. Municipalities conference, there had been a conversation with BC Transit about a proper regional service.  

The call for BC Transit to explore a proper regional service in 2025 was supported unanimously by the board of directors. 

Coyne also said if necessary, he'd consider going out and getting his own bus and setting up his own service.