On-It will once again be offering its weekend summer shuttle service between Calgary and Banff but won't be including a stop in Cochrane.

Jonathan Weal, regional director for Southland Transportation, says the Cochrane stop was eliminated because it simply wasn't being used by passengers. He believes only four passengers utilized the service all summer long.

"I believe what was happening is people were going to the Crowfoot LRT station to catch the bus because it offered a broader range of times," says Weal. 

Local utilization paled compared to the 11,000-plus passengers who used the weekend service from mid-June to the September Labour Day.

This year, the service is starting in mid-May, one month earlier, and again run until the Labour Day Weekend. It's available every Saturday and Sunday and on Holiday Mondays for a total of 35 days compared to 26 last year.

"We hoping that this year with the extended service we can get close to 20,000."

There's a chance the time window will be expanded.

"We've also left the option open to possibly extend the service into the fall and maybe include the Christmas market as well," says Weal.

The $10 one-way ticket price remains the same, thanks to the continued partnership of On-It, Canmore, Banff and Parks Canada.

Passengers will once again be able to transfer for no charge to the local Roam services of Banff and Canmore. This service takes visitors to such destinations as the Banff Gondola, the Cave & Basin National Historic Site and Lake Minnewanka but does not include the free service to Lake Louse offered during Canada 150. Instead, Parks Canada will be offering low-cost shuttles to Johnston Canyon and Lake Louise.

Today's announcement comes in conjunction with several other transit initiatives of the Bow Valley Regional Transit Services Commission, of which Cochrane isn't a member, and Parks Canada.