Niagara Regional Transit OnDemand expands its service within Niagara-on-the-Lake
Published November 3, 2021 at 12:01 pm
In an effort to expand their coverage, as of Monday (November 1), Niagara Regional Transit (NRT) OnDemand has bumped up its service throughout the entire Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake rather than just the designated area in the town that it previously served.
The Region has added two more vans to the fleet to ensure service, bringing the OnDemand fleet to four.
Niagara-on-the-Lake Mayor Betty Disero was happy with the expansion, noting transit was a much-needed, essential service in her town as it will now be available to all her residents.
“I am glad to see residents have made use of this service over its pilot year and I look forward to seeing how this improved coverage and availability will result in increased service use in the days and months to come,” said Disero.
In its pilot year in NOTL, residents had taken nearly 2,500 rides on NRT OnDemand with ridership averaging just under 500 rides per month from July to September 2021. This is more than a 1,300 per cent increase since the service launched.
The adult fare for trips within Niagara-on-the-Lake is $3. However, riders will be able to connect to Niagara Region Transit conventional service at the transit hub located at the Outlet Collection at Niagara, or the Glendale Campus of Niagara College for a $6 fare, which includes both the local fare and the transfer.
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NRT OnDemand also services the West Niagara communities of Grimsby, Lincoln, Pelham, Wainfleet and West Lincoln, serving up over 38,000 rides across all zones since the launch in August 2020. Over the past year, the service has seen a 122 per cent increase in monthly rides across all zones.
Niagara Regional Chair Jim Bradley noted that with the expansion of service in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Niagara was taking yet another progressive step to ensure all corners of the region are connected by affordable, reliable public transit.
“As residents in Niagara-on-the-Lake start booking trips today,” said Bradley, “I am encouraged to see the continued cooperation of Niagara’s municipalities in the service of those who rely on public transit – this expansion is yet another example of how well a fully realized regional transit system will operate in the future.”
(Top photo of a NRT OnDemand from Niagara Region. Below photo of Lincoln Mayor Sandra Easton showing her driving skills when NRT OnDemand landed there is from Lincoln)
