Shuttle bus in operation to cooling centre in Maple Ridge

A shuttle bus in now in operation until Friday to provide transportation for those in need to the City of Maple Ridge cooling centre.

The bus will provide transportation both to and from the Greg Moore Youth Centre, at 11925 Haney Place, and will operate from 11-8 p.m., during the cooling centre’s hours, until Friday.

Residents are allowed to bring their pets – as long as they remain on a leash and in control of the owner.

“This is one of the additions that we’ve made to our Heat Response Plan based on feedback from last year’s heat event. We heard that seniors, and other vulnerable citizens, often did not have access to transportation to take advantage of the cooling centre. This service seeks to close that gap,” said deputy fire chief Stephan Drolet, Maple Ridge’s emergency management coordinator.

“Firefighters will drive the shuttle bus and monitor use throughout the week as we refine our response to these heat events,” he noted.

READ MORE: Cooling centre to open this week in Maple Ridge

ALSO: Heat warnings for much of B.C. with temperatures up to 40 C through to Saturday

A bus schedule can be found on the attached map and more information about the shuttle bus service can be found at mapleridge.ca/CivicAlerts.

The city is also reminding residents that Maple Ridge Public Library, at 22470 Dewdney Trunk Rd., is open for people who are looking for a place to escape the heat. The library is open from 9-8:00 p.m. Tuesday to Thursday and 9-5:00 p.m. on Friday, and have water fountains on location.