A Grey Transit Route bus operated by Driverseat. (supplied photo)
Grey County’s transit route (GTR) will see some service cuts starting in April.
Due to funding constraints, the council voted Thursday to end GTR weekend service at the end of April and the Owen Sound to Wiarton route will be discontinued after Labour Day.
Other routes will see some stop locations removed or relocated.
Back in December 2023, council voted to withdraw County levy funding for the GTR in the 2024 budget and directed staff to reduce the GTR service to align with the remaining Community Transportation Grant dollars.
Following that direction, Manager of Community Transportation Stephanie Stewart gave a report to council Thursday, outlining changes that attempt to balance preserving some service everywhere while directing the greatest service to routes with the strongest ridership.
The GTR connects transit in Owen Sound, Meaford, Orangeville, Collingwood, Wiarton, Town of the Blue Mountains, Markdale, Flesherton, Dundalk, Georgian Bluffs, Chatsworth, Sauble Beach, and Shelburne. There are connections in Collingwood and Orangeville that also allow passengers to connect to GO transit.
County staff note, ridership has grown to 28,000 rides annually. Stewart’s report says, “There is a demonstrated need for intercommunity transportation in Grey County.”
She says between December and January they launched a survey, and received 155 responses, noting, “Respondents were very clear that the removal of any service level would be detrimental to their lives for a variety of reasons.”
With regard to ending service to Wiarton after labour day, Stewart noted that Bruce County and the Town of South Bruce Peninsula are interested in keeping the route running, and there may be future opportunities for the route there.
She added, there are some grant opportunities through infrastructure Canada and opportunities to work with area chambers of commerce, as well as possible not-for-profit opportunities.
But Stewart noted, those things can be pursued if council wants to commit to the future of transit in Grey County, saying “The long-term commitment to a vision of transit needs to be confirmed, because I don’t want to keep misleading our residents as they set up their lives using a system and then it may not be here post-2025.”
Stewart believes there are opportunities for the transit system, saying, “I’m committed to doing the work and working with Bruce County, Wellington County, Simcoe County. There’s lots of us at the table with the same problem that we’re trying to solve.”
When asked by council about a fare increase, Stewart suggested not increasing the fees, because while an increase may be acceptable for occasional users, she advised it would be a problem for regular users. “At the end of the day, that’s not what’s going to make a difference. If we were to increase the fees, we would lose ridership, and the point is to fill the bus and I want to fill the bus and I don’t want to lose people by making it not affordable,” says Stewart.
