The Economic Trust of the Southern Interior (ETSI-BC) is pleased to announce the release of the BC Southern Interior Regional Ground Transportation Study final report.

ETSI-BC engaged WATT Consulting Group to carry out the study with support from Toop Consulting, overseen by a Working Group from around the region. WATT Consulting carried out consultations and a survey of stakeholder organizations to identify regional ground transportation challenges and opportunities across the Southern Interior. Stakeholders included First Nation communities, Regional District representatives, local governments, academia, tourism and economic development practitioners, transportation providers, and institutions including Passenger Transportation Board, Interior Health, and BC Transit.  

We sincerely appreciate the contributions from our 17 Working Group members, 24 Roundtable Meeting participants and 186 Survey Respondents.  

Some of the region’s ground passenger transportation challenges identified in the study include: regional connectivity, access to medical services, tourism, access to housing, economic development and other regional challenges

The study identified opportunities to create a service framework visioning tool which identifies inter-regional connections, regional & local connections. Other opportunities include funding programs and the study identifies existing available programs from different levels of government and other agencies.

Recommendations were summarized in four categories: technology & coordination, funding, policy & regulatory frameworks and technical studies.