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Suburbanites taken for a free (bus) ride
Transit initiatives meant to lure riders in Milton, Mississauga, Richmond Hill and Markham
Oct 20, 2007 04:30 AM
Tess Kalinowski
Transportation Reporter
How do you sell public transit to car-addicted suburbanites?
How about offering free samples?
A growing number of commuter-based communities in the Toronto region are experimenting with free or discounted transit in the hope that residents just might like the bus if they try it.
Milton is offering a "Ride for free from 9 to 3" bus service; Mississauga is resurrecting its city centre shuttle; and Markham and Richmond Hill are continuing their joint Lunch Express, which ferries office workers to restaurants in the Highway 407 and Leslie St. area.
"These are days most of us are aware of climate change and gridlock. We do have to make moves to correct some of that," said Milton Mayor Gord Krantz of his town's aggressive transit growth strategy.
Two home builders are sponsoring the seven-month experiment, which will cost the fledgling transit system $6,500 in lost fares each month. Early numbers suggest ridership is growing on Milton transit, says Milton's chief administrative officer Mario Belvedere.
Ridership usually drops in the summer, but Milton's July ridership of 12,441 was double that of the previous July. Even if you factor in 10 to 15 per cent from population growth, that's a significant increase, Belvedere said.
Last year, Milton Transit attracted 85,000 riders. This year, it's hoping the free off-peak program will help it surpass 100,000.
But one patron says officials are kidding themselves if they think people with cars are going to use the infrequent, limited service of Milton's four bus routes.
Eric Asker, a retiree who volunteers at the local hospital, came to Milton from Mississauga last year. During the day, he says, the 21-seat buses are seldom full except when school lets out and the kids get on.
"There's no (weekend) service. The buses stop at 8 p.m. so you've got to take a cab to go home or walk," says Asker, who doesn't own a car.
Buses run from about 6 a.m. to 8:20 p.m. daily, but a proposal for weekend service was quashed by council last year, said Milton transit co-ordinator Tony D'Alessandro.
"Price is one aspect but it's not everything. It's all about being competitive with the automobile," he said. But with only four routes (a fifth is added during rush hour for GO users) every half-hour, he admits frequency is a challenge.
Krantz says he's willing to support service expansion but only if ridership can be sustained.
"It has to be given a fair chance. That's one of the reasons for the free transit ... to hopefully keep people on that hook to use transit for a long, long time," he said.
In a similar move, Mississauga will reinstate, in December, a city centre shuttle offering 25-minute service seven days a week for a loonie. The idea is to persuade nearby residents to leave the car at home when they're using shops and services or going to work in the City Hall and Square One area.
The idea has been tried before but fell apart when the original sponsors pulled out. Officials hope the new year-long pilot, expected to cost about $352,000, will be able to capitalize on the dense development taking place in the city centre.
City staff are seeking a sponsor to pick up about $100,000 of that cost.
Another shuttle serving the business district near Highway 407 and Leslie has been trying to attract sponsors and riders for seven months, but organizers admit it's been tough to get the word out.
A growing number of restaurants are offering discounts to riders using the Lunch Express in Markham and Richmond Hill, but the project has been scaled back from two days a week to Fridays only since the pilot period expired in September.
Still, the communities think the idea needs more time, said George Flint, of Smart Commute 404-7, the transportation demand group that launched the shuttle program.
Suburbanites taken for a free (bus) ride
Transit initiatives meant to lure riders in Milton, Mississauga, Richmond Hill and Markham
Oct 20, 2007 04:30 AM
Tess Kalinowski
Transportation Reporter
How do you sell public transit to car-addicted suburbanites?
How about offering free samples?
A growing number of commuter-based communities in the Toronto region are experimenting with free or discounted transit in the hope that residents just might like the bus if they try it.
Milton is offering a "Ride for free from 9 to 3" bus service; Mississauga is resurrecting its city centre shuttle; and Markham and Richmond Hill are continuing their joint Lunch Express, which ferries office workers to restaurants in the Highway 407 and Leslie St. area.
"These are days most of us are aware of climate change and gridlock. We do have to make moves to correct some of that," said Milton Mayor Gord Krantz of his town's aggressive transit growth strategy.
Two home builders are sponsoring the seven-month experiment, which will cost the fledgling transit system $6,500 in lost fares each month. Early numbers suggest ridership is growing on Milton transit, says Milton's chief administrative officer Mario Belvedere.
Ridership usually drops in the summer, but Milton's July ridership of 12,441 was double that of the previous July. Even if you factor in 10 to 15 per cent from population growth, that's a significant increase, Belvedere said.
Last year, Milton Transit attracted 85,000 riders. This year, it's hoping the free off-peak program will help it surpass 100,000.
But one patron says officials are kidding themselves if they think people with cars are going to use the infrequent, limited service of Milton's four bus routes.
Eric Asker, a retiree who volunteers at the local hospital, came to Milton from Mississauga last year. During the day, he says, the 21-seat buses are seldom full except when school lets out and the kids get on.
"There's no (weekend) service. The buses stop at 8 p.m. so you've got to take a cab to go home or walk," says Asker, who doesn't own a car.
Buses run from about 6 a.m. to 8:20 p.m. daily, but a proposal for weekend service was quashed by council last year, said Milton transit co-ordinator Tony D'Alessandro.
"Price is one aspect but it's not everything. It's all about being competitive with the automobile," he said. But with only four routes (a fifth is added during rush hour for GO users) every half-hour, he admits frequency is a challenge.
Krantz says he's willing to support service expansion but only if ridership can be sustained.
"It has to be given a fair chance. That's one of the reasons for the free transit ... to hopefully keep people on that hook to use transit for a long, long time," he said.
In a similar move, Mississauga will reinstate, in December, a city centre shuttle offering 25-minute service seven days a week for a loonie. The idea is to persuade nearby residents to leave the car at home when they're using shops and services or going to work in the City Hall and Square One area.
The idea has been tried before but fell apart when the original sponsors pulled out. Officials hope the new year-long pilot, expected to cost about $352,000, will be able to capitalize on the dense development taking place in the city centre.
City staff are seeking a sponsor to pick up about $100,000 of that cost.
Another shuttle serving the business district near Highway 407 and Leslie has been trying to attract sponsors and riders for seven months, but organizers admit it's been tough to get the word out.
A growing number of restaurants are offering discounts to riders using the Lunch Express in Markham and Richmond Hill, but the project has been scaled back from two days a week to Fridays only since the pilot period expired in September.
Still, the communities think the idea needs more time, said George Flint, of Smart Commute 404-7, the transportation demand group that launched the shuttle program.