Tecumseh transit system doesn’t work

Re: Tecumseh seeking input on bus service changes, by Sarah Sacheli, March 8.

In a response to a call for a more efficient transit service in Tecumseh by way of a single-system partnership with neighbouring municipalities, Mayor McNamara claimed in October that its current independent model is successful. Not even an expression of intent to improve the sorely inefficient service was offered. Tecumseh’s bus takes one hour to complete an impractical one-way loop around town, regularly runs up to 20 minutes behind schedule and involves a rider transfer to the nearby Windsor system. I suggest Mayor McNamara and his administration try to take Tecumseh Transit to travel from their homes to the grocery store, their place of work, the university or a doctor’s appointment — then imagine themselves doing so in inclement weather or as a senior citizen or in a wheelchair.

What is even more astonishing: Tecumseh’s proposed solution to the 20-minute delays is to shorten the route, even as they are being asked to expand service to make the system more useful. An extension of Transit Windsor eastward would be a beneficial way to streamline service and encourage ridership. A semi-express route could offer multiple stops in Tecumseh and Lakeshore and run express to major Windsor destinations. Tecumseh is urged to partner with other municipalities to design and implement a seamless regional system. It is a sensible solution. Melanie Paul Tanovich