Transit users give new system a try
Fewer routes, more hours are part of the plan to fight the spread of virus
A new set of bus routes introduced on Sunday left some riders confused and waiting too long for comfort in Monday’s heat — even though there were city workers at the main terminal, helping transit passengers to navigate.
Scott Storm puzzled over the new transit map on Monday.
“It’s confusing — I’m used to navigating our normal routes,” he said.
The idea behind the redesign of the transit routes was to allow wider physical distancing for riders, which is recommended to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
There was concern about crowding at the main transit terminal on Simcoe Street, since all the bus routes used to converge on the terminal for transfers.
Now, those transfers can happen at locations throughout the city, “which allows for greater physical distancing and less crowding,” wrote city communications manager Brendan Wedley in an email to The Examiner.
Still, longtime bus rider Arthur Hartwick said there are fewer routes — nine, rather than 17 — and he wondered how there could possibly be less crowding on fewer bus routes.
It seems “counterintuitive,” wrote transit manager Laurie Stratton in an email, but she added that there’s more service to riders under this new system — not less.
Service hours under the new system are extended, she noted, with buses running from 5:50 a.m. to midnight, and there are three smaller community buses going directly to places such as shopping centres (which decreases crowding at the downtown terminal).
Still, Hartwick said he was unhappy with the way the redesign of the bus routes came about.
“I don’t like the fact that city
staff went ahead and did this without consulting elected council,” he said. “I think we’re allowing the city staff to run the city — which in some ways isn’t bad — but I’d like council to run the city.”
Mayor Diane Therrien wasn’t available for comment late in the day Monday.
But Wedley wrote in an email that the transit system had to be adjusted quickly — and with community safety in mind — in response to the province government allowing business reopenings.
“Normally, there would be traditional consultation before changing transit routes, but we’re not in a normal situation; the province and the city are still under emergency orders,” Wedley wrote.
Waiting for her bus at the terminal on Monday, Terry Lyn Northey said she and others will adapt their routines to the new routes soon enough.
“It’s a new way — everyone will get used it,” she said. “I think it’s good to keep the buses on the street.”
Still, at least one rider couldn’t bear waiting on Monday. After an hour at the terminal, Chris Dietrich gave up in frustration: “I’ll just take a cab.”