Elmira bus pilot set to become regular Grand River Transit route: Regional report

Transit users in Elmira could soon have a new permanent bus routeif the region goes ahead with a proposal from transit authorities.

Waterloo region is currently running a pilot of thenew route for free in Elmira, which they say has beenvery successful.

"The proposal is to regularize it as a [Grand River Transit]route and charge the regular fare," Tom Galloway, chair of the region's planning and works committee,told CBC Kitchener-Waterloo.

The route starts and ends at the Woolwich Township office, which is also a Grand River Transit (GRT) bus stop, and makes a number of stops throughout Elmira.

Galloway says the service has been well-received by residents using it so far, butthe region does anticipate a drop in ridership as it switches from a free to a paid service.

But a drop in ridership won't be too detrimental for the service, Galloway said.

"We would expect that to rebound very quickly and grow from there," he said.

The fare for the bus would be the same as a regularGRT rideand people will be able to use the same passes that the GRT provides.

GRT staff are projecting a $173,000 running cost for providing the service. As for which transit provider will offer it, Galloway said that is also yet to be decided.

Since it launched earlier this year, the pilot has been provided by Kiwanis Transit on behalf of GRT.

If the proposal goes forward now, the region will have to see if Kiwanis will continue to provide the service, or if they will open it up to proposals from other providers.

The current pilot project runs until the end of this year after which, if approved, the new permanent service will go into effect.

The proposal goes before councillors at the public works committee meeting on Sept. 10.