An overhaul of Whitehorse's transit system will be completed next week when the city's new bus routes are implemented on July 1.

The changes, which have been years in the making, will see a switch from a "hub and spoke” system where buses went to Ogilvie Street and riders transferred from one route to another, to a "loop” system.

Under that plan, riders can go from one community to another on the same bus with less of a need to transfer.

All of the new routes will run down Second Avenue, where riders can change routes if need be.

The new system will also feature more consistent schedules and express routing.

"This really helps out for our passengers that want to get quickly downtown,” new Whitehorse Transit manager Cheri Malo said of the express routes during a press conference this morning.

"They can jump on these buses and they're not going the full route, they're just going to be able to go straight downtown more quickly than the buses that go into the area in more depth.”

Exactly how often a bus will pass a given stop will depend on the area and the time of day.

"In the downtown core, going from one end to the other, you're going to have a bus every five to 20 minutes,” said Malo.

The new routes will mean a change in bus stops around the city.

"Some areas will have mildly more walking and some areas will have significantly less,” Whitehorse public relations manager Matthew Grant told the news conference. "It just depends on the route changes.”

More than 500 people participated in planning the service by attending public meetings and answering the city's surveys.

"The new system has been a long time coming, and it is the result of a great deal of community input,” said city councillor Florence Roberts.

It wasn't just riders giving inputs on the new system either. Drivers helped develop the routes.

"We've been ensuring that our drivers have been a part of this since day one,” said Malo.

The city also borrowed ideas from other municipalities and tweaked them to make the system work for Whitehorse.

"There's a number of loop systems in different cities,” Grant said. "So we tried to take the best of what we could from around the country and also integrate it into our own experience. And we believe we've done that.”

Implementing the new system will cost the city $276,000 this year and $483,000 in subsequent years.

"Council did not make this decision lightly,” said Roberts. "This money represents a significant investment in our community and in our sustainability.”

The city also used federal gas tax money to invest in low-floor kneeling buses to ensure the transit system is 100 per cent accessible. The buses have a life span of about 15 years.

The costs have been built into the current and future budgets and fares will not be affected. Roberts believes not raising fares will encourage increased ridership.

Just using the transit system a few times a week will make a difference, marketing consultant Sofia Fortin told today's press conference.

"We're hoping that everybody takes a look at the new system,” she said, noting it's been designed for people going to and from work.

"Check it out, see if it works for you. We just want people on the bus once or twice a week...

"...We're not asking you to give up your vehicle. You can drive in the evenings, you can go out of town on the weekends.”

For now, however, the city is focused on ensuring current riders know about the changes.

"We want to make sure they have a schedule in their hand and that they know, July 1st, the system is going to change and it will likely become more convenient for them,” said Grant.

"There will be some behavioural change. If you've been taking the same bus for years and that bus isn't going to the same place anymore, you probably want to know that.”

New schedules are available at city hall, the Canada Games Centre, the Yukon College bookstore and at several stores around town. It can also be downloaded from the city's website, www.whitehorse.ca.

The city will also have a bus in the Canada Day parade, where staff will be handing out schedules.

"We generally just have the fire department in the Canada Day parade but everybody loves a bus,” said Grant.

The new system gives the city a great base to build on, said Fortin.

"We're essentially changing the framework of the way the system works,” she said. "And it will give us a much better foundation to expand on in terms of extending service hours or going into Sundays once we increase ridership. So it's a better footing to start from.”

A new route is already being developed for the coming Whistle Bend subdivision, said Grant.

As for future expansions in service, data about ridership and feasibility will be collected over the next year before any proposals are brought to council. Grant said the city would like to see ridership rise by about 30 per cent.

In the meantime, the revised system should address the needs of the growing city.

"The city is focusing on developing within our urban containment boundaries, so basically where services already exist so we don't have to build more,” Grant said.

"Lucky for us, this bus system is mainly focused in that area, so we're building where the buses already are.”