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Intercity Bus Services

Interesting. The service operated by Norfolk County within Simcoe and to places like Port Dover and Delhi really is more a Seniorville Trolley rather than useful transit service for commuters or younger people, but once it reaches Brantford, it might become somewhat useful.

Chatham-Kent operates a rural service on three routes from Downtown Chatham, useful for shopping and appointments, on a more commuter-friendly schedule (arriving at Chatham in the morning, departing in the evening). Unfortunately, the schedules are not posted online:

I was looking at the new intercity bus networks made possible by the provincial Community Transportation Grant Program. Some launched in 2019, though others will launch in 2020. There are a few connections now possible that didn't exist a year ago.

Service between Brantford, Waterford, and Simcoe now operates three times daily, Monday-Friday. Adult fares are $6 one-way, or $8 for a same-day return. Delhi has service three days a week, while Port Dover has buses two days a week.

 
Couple interesting developments in the London area. Staring this year there will be a new microtransit route operating between Woodstock and London several times a day to take commuters into the city but also take people from Ingersol and Beechville to Woodstock.

More significantly, there will finally be regular transit between London and St.Thomas. Spearheaded by St.Thomas, they have received initial funding from QP to start the service possibly by Sept 2020. The service will go from the Walmart in ST thru downtown and then take Wellington to White Oaks mall at the south end of London. WO is a major London Transit bus terminal and will be the southern terminus of London's new BRT. Also the service will run several times a day, each way including off peak times so it can be better utilized by students at Fanshawe and UWO. The fare, although not official will be $10 each way or $15 return. Seems steep but is OK if it includes a free transfer onto LT. This will not be microtransit but rather regular transit service and buses.

This is very long overdue and I think will be quite successful. 600,000 people live within a 20 minute drive of London boundaries.
 
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Couple interesting developments in the London area. There will be a new microtransit route operating between Woodstock and London several times a day to take commuters into the city but also take people from Ingersol and Beechville to Woodstock.

More significantly, there will finally be regular transit between London and St.Thomas. Spearheaded by St.Thomas, they have received initial funding from QP to start the service possibly by Sept 2020. The service will go from the Walmart in ST thru downtown and then take Wellington to White Oaks mall at the south end of London. WO is a major London Transit bus terminal and will be the southern terminus of London's new BRT. Also the service will run several times a day, each way including off peak times so it can be better utilized by students at Fanshawe and UWO. The fare, although not official will be $10 each way or $10 return. Seems steep but is OK if it includes a free transfer onto LT. This will not be microtransit but rather regular transit service and buses.

This is very long overdue and I think will be quite successful. 600,000 people live within a 20 minute drive of London boundaries.

Do you have links? I couldn’t find any announcement of St. Thomas or Elgin County getting funding from the Ontario grant program, unlike Grey County, Owen Sound, Norfolk County, or Selwyn Township.
 
I think it should be a requirement for operating provincially licensed public transport in Ontario to have timetables published such that Google Maps and other transit apps have access to them. Having planning options easily available (even without integrated fares) is the first step to convincing people that they don't need to drive everywhere to get anywhere outside of urban transit zones.
 
I love what Kasper Transportation did up north, but running new buses competing with Grey County's planned routes, Simcoe County Linx, and even GO Transit, is just so very strange, like they're on a kamikaze mission.
 
Kasper Transportation already operates the White River-Thunder Bay route, though it doesn't offer a seamless connection to Sault Ste. Marie or Sudbury.

I really hope Kasper can focus on its other routes from Thunder Bay to places like Fort Frances, Sioux Lookout, and Winnipeg.
 
20200216_135505.jpg
 
^Information on their web site says the new service initially runs once per week, overnight Friday night/Saturday AM eastbound and overnight Sunday/Monday westbound.

Very unusual scheduling, I wonder what market they see themselves serving.

Absent the middle of night timing, I would have expected more stops, eg Maple Creek. It's a long way from Medicine Hat to Swift Current.

- Paul
 

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