Lasalle extends public transit contract, while Amherstburg service starts Sept. 6

Bus service will soon be a little quicker in Lasalle as the town reverts back to its pre-pandemic schedule with two buses running continuously Monday to Friday.

“Through the pandemic we have been running a modified schedule so we've been only running the Saturday schedule, which only has one bus,” said Peter Marra, deputy chief administrative officer.

“Typically, before the pandemic our weekday was two buses and it was a shorter wait time.”

Lasalle council on Tuesday renewed the service, approving a new five-year contract with Transit Windsor for the Lasalle 25 route that runs from St. Clair College in Windsor across Lasalle and includes a stop at the Vollmer Complex. The agreement is in effect until Aug. 31, 2027.

Normal service resumes in September. Two buses will operate from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday to Friday, one bus on Saturdays and no service on Sunday.

The annual hourly fee for Transit Windsor to provide service to Lasalle has risen to $66.04 from the previous $61.70. The fee includes bus maintenance, repairs, claims, and other operating expenses but fuel costs are extra.

“The hourly wages basically go up based on contractual obligations through Transit Windsor,” Marra said. “They negotiate wages and benefit increases year after year so that's what that hourly rate reflects.”

Fares remain at $3.15 (exact change required), children 12 and under are free with a full paying passenger.

Marra said ridership dipped during the pandemic but numbers are beginning to rise.

“Ridership was really great pre-pandemic,” he said. “It was higher than what was expected from us.

“The pandemic obviously reduced ridership and we've been on a bit of a modified schedule. But we have seen over this last year, even on the modified schedule, ridership is starting to increase again.”

It's a trend he expects will continue.

Marra said some timing changes are under review by the town in an effort to improve service.

“We are currently reviewing, seeing if we can change some of the timing a little bit to better serve Sandwich Secondary school for their start times in the morning.” he said. “But the route will remain the same.”

And a two-year pilot public transit project begins Sept. 6 bringing service to Amherstburg.

Amherstburg's Route 605 will travel along Sandwich Street to Lowes Side Road on the south end of town. Stops along Texas Road and through the Kingsbridge subdivision and a one-way loop down Simcoe, Fryer and Alma streets, passing by the new North Star high school, are included.

The bus will operate three times per day, seven days per week, leaving the Hotel-dieu Grace Healthcare terminal in west Windsor at 6 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 6 p.m.

The Windsor Transit buses are accessible and are equipped with a bike rack.

The cost for each trip is $4.75, but residents can purchase reloadable smart cards at town hall for $1. Five-ride and 15- and 30day unlimited-use passes are also available.

Coun. Don Mcarthur said council earmarked $80,000 for the project in the 2022 budget and pre-committed operational expenditures of $225,000 for the 2023 budget and $175,000 for the 2024 budget.

Any fares collected in Amherstburg will flow to the town, while fares collected outside of Amherstburg will go to the City of Windsor, Mcarthur said.

In addition to the fare revenue, the town will be able to apply for transit grants and will also be eligible for gas tax dollars, which can be used to offset costs.

“I think this is a fantastic initiative,” Mcarthur. “I think it's going to provide a lot of opportunities for Amherstburg youth, especially for education and for work opportunities in Windsor and beyond.

“In addition it's going to provide a lot of opportunities for our active aging population who need to go to Windsor for medical appointments and that sort of thing,” he added.

“And on the flip side, this bus operates seven days a week. So it's going to allow people from the city to take the bus into Amherstburg, to enhance tourism.”