More overnight transit needed for nightlife in uptown, says UW student group

A group of students from the University of Waterloo want to see more transit service through the night in the city.

The UW NDP club says more transportation options are needed for students who stay out late to socialize, study or work overnight in uptown Waterloo.

Damian Mikhail, co-president of the UW NDP, saysthey're hoping Grand River Transit will prioritize bringing back late night service on bus Route 7 especially as nightlife makes a post-pandemic comeback to uptown Waterloo.

"Uptown is a thriving community at night. It does not end at midnight," Mikhail said, adding the city is full of life through the night to 2 a.m. in the university area.

"[There are] a lot of students who are still active, studying late at night. These students are some of the most vulnerable when it comes to safety."

He says his group is hoping to bring Route 7 back by the start of the fall term. After that, they would also like to see the return of other night routes in the city.

Mikhail says this is about more than just students being able to get around.

"We don't often talk about how hard it is to be a night shift worker in this city, especially in uptown," he said.

"When you're working until ... sometimes 4:00 a.m.in in uptown, closing things up, you don't have a way to get home without acar," he added. "We're also talking about safety because walking home late at night, it doesn't feel safe and often it isn't. So having that bus there to get you home safely and quickly [is]extremely important."

When asked if there are plans to ever reintroduce night transit routes, Grand River Transit sent CBC News said in an emailed statement that it has plans to launch consultations on its five-year business plan later this year.

"The plan will be the roadmap for all expansion of GRT services. We look forward to discussing with our customers and community their vision for the future of transit and expanded hours of service," the statement said.

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