Route to Rocky a busy addition
Residents of Rocky Mountain House appear to be embracing a new shuttle service that connects their town to Sylvan Lake and Red Deer.
“It’s been mostly Rocky that we’ve had a considerable amount of passengers travelling,” said John Stepovy, general manger of Red Arrow Motorcoach. “Red Deer-Sylvan has been a bit slow to pick up.”
Red Arrow has been running a 14-person passenger van between the three Central Alberta communities since June 25. On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, it leaves the Petro Canada station in Rocky Mountain House at 6:05 a.m. and then returns at 7:15 p.m. Passengers are required to reserve a spot in advance.
On weekdays, the Red Arrow Connector completes several round trips between Sylvan Lake and Red Deer, with stops at Chateau Suites at Sylvan Bay, the Visitor Information Centre, the Community Centre and Canadian Tire in Sylvan Lake, and at Red Deer College, Sorenson Station, the Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre, Bower Place Shopping Centre and the Holiday Inn on 67th Street in Red Deer.
The van is also making several trips between Sylvan Lake and Red Deer on Saturdays during the summer.
Cost of the service is $10 for one-way rides and $19 for return fares between Red Deer and Sylvan Lake, with travellers between Rocky and Red Deer paying $36, or $70 return. Discounts are available for multi-ticket packs and for students.
Stepovy thinks passenger counts will increase as awareness grows.
“We think it’s a good service, and for 10 bucks between Sylvan Lake and Red Deer, you can’t beat that.
“Sylvan Lake’s been a little bit slow, but I think once school gets in we’ll see a few more students coming and going.”
The vans offer Wi-Fi and have power outlets that passengers can use.
More information about the Red Arrow Connector service, including its schedule, is online at www.redarrow.ca.
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