Free transit returns on New Year’s Eve
Free New Year’s Eve bus and handi-van service will return to the city for the third straight year thanks to a continuing partnership with a local law firm.
Service will be provided on all 12 regular routes with buses operating free of charge to riders between 7:20 p.m. on Dec. 31 and 3:20 a.m. on Jan. 1, officials announced Thursday morning in front of a bus parked at City Hall.
“It’s about giving people enough time to come home,” City transportation chairman and Monaghan Ward Coun. Don Vassiliadis told those gathered.
Regular service normally ends at 7:20 p.m. on Sundays but that won’t be the case Dec. 31, which falls on a Sunday.
Having rode on the free buses into the early morning hours last year, Vassiliadis pointed out that there is a welcoming, friendly atmosphere on the ride. “It’s a lot of fun ... This offers thousands of people a safe ride home.”
Wolfe Injury Lawyers president Bill Wolfe agreed.
“That’s the big goal here,” he said, adding that he hopes as many as 4,000 use the free service, which has seen approximately 3,000 riders annually since it was established in 2015.
It was the city who approached the firm about a possible sponsorship, Wolfe said. “It’s hard not to get behind a great idea like this ... we’re just trying to make it easier for people.”
The last bus will leave Peterborough’s downtown Simcoe Street terminal at 2:40 a.m.
Handi-van service will run during the same hours as regular buses, with as many as two vans in service. Trip booking requests will be accepted from eligible clients until 12:20 a.m.
Handi-van bookings are accepted on a first come, first serve basis. Riders wishing to travel during peak times are encouraged to reserve their trips in advance, organizers said.
NOTE: For more information, including route maps, visit www.peterborough.ca/transit.