‘Late-Night Loop’ bus returning in Waterloo
This fall, late-night bus service will be restored between Waterloo’s uptown and the university district, Thursday to Saturday, with 30minute service from 12:30 to 2 a.m.
The move by regional council essentially restores Grand River Transit’s Route 91 “Late-Night Loop” that was put on hold, along with other routes, as part of GRT’s initial COVID-19 reductions.
Students advocated for the service to be restored citing growing ridership and safety concerns due to a lack of affordable transit options after midnight.
More than a dozen delegations spoke to council Wednesday evening in support of a motion brought forward by Coun. Colleen James.
James proposed to reinstate the service seven days a week, along with another bus route serving the university area that was also cancelled due to pandemic restrictions.
Cambridge councillors raised concerns.
“I want to know not only the cost, but I also know want to know if there are other areas in the region that have needs that merit or would equal what’s being asked for tonight,” said Coun. Doug Craig.
“I’m not opposed to it, but I think when you look at different power centres, you look at the industrial parks where people work at night, all of that. I mean, I would like to have some answers and a more global view of what the needs are for this kind of nighttime service across the region.”
Coun. Pam Wolf concurred, noting that there’s still no light rail transit or GO train service in Cambridge and that it’s still likely 10 to 15 years away.
“When we’re looking at expanding transit again, it seems to be Cambridge second or third,” she said. “So I am concerned about the money we spend and where we spend it, and the fact that it seems to be concentrated basically in Kitchener-Waterloo.”
Later this year, Grand River Transit will launch public consultations on its five-year business plan. The region’s director of transit services, Doug Spooner, said late-night bus service is up for consideration along with geographic expansion and increased frequencies to address overcrowding on some routes.
The goal is to introduce night service across the network to serve various sectors, Spooner said.
“It is a significant operational challenge to implement. A full night transit network would push us to 24-hour operation. Today it’s about a 21-hour operation,” he said.
“We’d update our operating model for operations and maintenance. We would update our collective bargaining agreements and a number of other contracts, including security. That is not what’s in the motion today, but to move to full night transit, while being a priority, is one that will take significant investment.”
An amendment to James’ motion to restore Route 91 in 2024, supported by council, will cost about $20,000, Spooner estimates, with a funding source for this year and beyond referred to finance staff.
“I wanted to ensure that the students — those who are working shift work, those who are using transportation after hours, that their needs and their voice was reflected, especially as we move forward with our 2025 to 2030 GRT bus master plan,” said James, who chairs the planning and public works committee.
“I recognize that there is a need for transit not just in the Waterloo area. I am not naive to that and recognize that we need to make our transit more efficient, more effective, more useful for those who are dependent on it and increasingly dependent on it.”
Waterloo Mayor Dorothy McCabe said her city’s residential density and student nightlife is unique to the region.
Late-night busing can’t just launch as a blanket service across the entire region all at once, she noted.
“We’re going to implement it in pilots and in stages, and this is really the place to do it.”