Yellowknife (Feb 22/06) - If you have to pause and think of a reason why you should take the bus to work, look no further than Ecology North for an answer, says Doug Ritchie.

"In Yellowknife, there are 6,756 reasons to take public transit," Ritchie says.

He estimates the cost of car ownership per year to be $7,500, compared with 12 monthly bus passes totalling $744. The difference is $6,756.

Ecology North has teamed up with City Hall to implement positive changes to increase ridership and keep buses on time, Ritchie says.

A public campaign is now underway to raise awareness of the benefits of mass transit versus vehicle ownership.

"One of the biggest issues for bus users previously was that buses were late.

"That meant it was difficult for existing users to use the bus and very difficult, if not impossible, for new users to figure out how to use the buses," Ritchie says.

"A lot of people gave up on the bus system."

By having a realistic, timely schedule, Ritchie says more people will have a reason to ride the bus.

The Route 1 bus schedule includes new stops at Canadian Tire and the Co-op, while eliminating the stop at the airport.

Ritchie says the public campaign is the logical follow up to the city's commitment under the community energy plan.

Ritchie says greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector account for 17 per cent of all gases emitted in Yellowknife.

"A big part of the solution is getting more people to use public transit."

Ritchie says in the past, the city did not do enough to promote the bus service, hence the publicity campaign.

Chris Greencorn, municipal works engineer for the City of Yellowknife, says the campaign is a great way to relay to the public the positive aspects of riding the bus.

"We're always trying to promote ridership and get more people riding the bus," Greencorn says.

"We're all trying to be more environmentally conscious. Parking downtown sometimes can be brutal, so why not take the bus?"

Greencorn says ultimately, the more people riding the bus, the better the service.

Since the implementation of the new schedule, no complaints have been received by the city, he says.

The city will be accumulating data from a market study which will provide information on how to increase awareness of the bus service, he says.

Last year there were 130,000 bus riders.

"But we expect a huge increase because we've noticed a significant increase in ridership this winter," Greencorn says.