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Regional transit system hits the road Monday
By Jeff Bolichowski, Standard Staff
Updated 1 month ago
Niagara Region's first inter-municipal bus service is ready to roll out Monday.
The Niagara Region Transit pilot project, which links up buses going to St. Catharines, Niagara Falls and Welland with existing city transit systems, will hit the road Sept. 12. A full service launch will kick in Sept. 16.
The first few days will give drivers a chance to get used to their routes, said Regional Chair Gary Burroughs. Beyond that, though, it will provide residents a glimpse of the buses themselves, one of which he said he saw Thursday.
"They look very smart," he said. "They're white and they've got our logos on them."
A transit system covering most of the region has been talked about and studied for years.
Under the new system, the buses link up with local transit systems in the three largest municipalities, as well as Fort Erie and Port Colborne. For a single fare, riders can hop on a local bus there, transfer to a Region bus to get to one of the three largest cities, then transfer again to another local bus.
Stops along the new service's route will include local transit terminals, regional headquarters on Schmon Pkwy., the Pen Centre, Niagara Square and the Seaway Mall.
By and large, they'll keep rolling along quickly, said associate planning director Kumar Ranjan.
"The buses do not have very many stops," he said. "We have targeted the buses to be express in nature."
The service also beefs up Niagara Falls' transit feeder service to Fort Erie, adding Saturday service year-round. Extra day trips will be added for Welland Transit's runs to Port Colborne.
While the three-year pilot project is ready to roll, Burroughs noted the first few days will be a learning period. There could be a few tweaks along the way, he predicted, with early runs helping to peg the actual time each bus takes getting from stop to stop.
Ranjan said service will run right away, but he warned passengers might experience some snafus in the first week, possibly including missed connections with municipal lines until drivers have their route timing down pat.
He said the buses will run every hour from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Fares begin at a $5 "introductory rate," before jumping to $6 six months in.
The increase posed a concern for Burroughs, who said he was worried riders could be turned off by it.
"That's why I would have preferred a longer period before the bump-up, but let's see how it is."
The Region will pick up the $2.7-million tab to run the system as well as $3.7 million to buy the eight buses, two of which will run the Fort Erie-Niagara Falls and Port Colborne-Welland lines.
Burroughs called the bus line "terribly important" and said those trying to reach regional headquarters would have a stop right there. And he said it could allow those who don't drive to commute to work.
"Yes, from the economic development side, moving our residents around the region will be important."
The pilot project is in place until Sept. 2014, said Ranjan, but it's subject to quarterly monitoring to gauge its success.
Routes and fares can be found at www.niagararegion.ca/transit.
jbolichowski@stcatharinesstandard.ca
Regional transit system hits the road Monday
By Jeff Bolichowski, Standard Staff
Updated 1 month ago
Niagara Region's first inter-municipal bus service is ready to roll out Monday.
The Niagara Region Transit pilot project, which links up buses going to St. Catharines, Niagara Falls and Welland with existing city transit systems, will hit the road Sept. 12. A full service launch will kick in Sept. 16.
The first few days will give drivers a chance to get used to their routes, said Regional Chair Gary Burroughs. Beyond that, though, it will provide residents a glimpse of the buses themselves, one of which he said he saw Thursday.
"They look very smart," he said. "They're white and they've got our logos on them."
A transit system covering most of the region has been talked about and studied for years.
Under the new system, the buses link up with local transit systems in the three largest municipalities, as well as Fort Erie and Port Colborne. For a single fare, riders can hop on a local bus there, transfer to a Region bus to get to one of the three largest cities, then transfer again to another local bus.
Stops along the new service's route will include local transit terminals, regional headquarters on Schmon Pkwy., the Pen Centre, Niagara Square and the Seaway Mall.
By and large, they'll keep rolling along quickly, said associate planning director Kumar Ranjan.
"The buses do not have very many stops," he said. "We have targeted the buses to be express in nature."
The service also beefs up Niagara Falls' transit feeder service to Fort Erie, adding Saturday service year-round. Extra day trips will be added for Welland Transit's runs to Port Colborne.
While the three-year pilot project is ready to roll, Burroughs noted the first few days will be a learning period. There could be a few tweaks along the way, he predicted, with early runs helping to peg the actual time each bus takes getting from stop to stop.
Ranjan said service will run right away, but he warned passengers might experience some snafus in the first week, possibly including missed connections with municipal lines until drivers have their route timing down pat.
He said the buses will run every hour from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Fares begin at a $5 "introductory rate," before jumping to $6 six months in.
The increase posed a concern for Burroughs, who said he was worried riders could be turned off by it.
"That's why I would have preferred a longer period before the bump-up, but let's see how it is."
The Region will pick up the $2.7-million tab to run the system as well as $3.7 million to buy the eight buses, two of which will run the Fort Erie-Niagara Falls and Port Colborne-Welland lines.
Burroughs called the bus line "terribly important" and said those trying to reach regional headquarters would have a stop right there. And he said it could allow those who don't drive to commute to work.
"Yes, from the economic development side, moving our residents around the region will be important."
The pilot project is in place until Sept. 2014, said Ranjan, but it's subject to quarterly monitoring to gauge its success.
Routes and fares can be found at www.niagararegion.ca/transit.
jbolichowski@stcatharinesstandard.ca