Public transit ridership in Owen Sound was down slightly last year.
A report on transit prepared by the city's Supervisor of Environmental Services Cassandra Cesco explains just over 192,000 people used conventional transit in Owen Sound in 2019. It was presented at an Operations Committee meeting in February.
That is a slight decline compared to 2018 when more than 198,000 rides were taken on city buses. It is the third straight year ridership has fallen slightly on public transit in Owen Sound.
“Staff anticipate the decrease in ridership is due to the extended closure of the 10th Street Bridge for reconstruction and related work in 2019 causing patrons to utilize other methods of service that will take them to their appointments in less time than it takes to take the bus,” Cesco's report explains.
The total revenue brought in from conventional transit in Owen Sound last year was $334,797.
Owen Sound's Director of Public Works and Engineering Dennis Kefalas says revenue from fares covers about 30 per cent of the city's conventional transit costs.
In all, Kefalas notes the net cost for the city to run public transit in 2019 — including conventional and specialized services, as well as staffing the transit terminal — was just over $992,000.