Barrie Transit officially launched the latest expansion to its Transit ON Demand (TOD) on Wednesday, but it didn’t come without a bit of confusion and concern from some riders.
Starting May 1, TOD — a Barrie Transit ride-sharing service without a fixed schedule or route — was officially expanded to five areas of the city to align with the new network.
With the system, riders will need to book their trip through an app, online or by phone, and the bus travel is optimized through a computer-based system. The service operates using smaller buses in a specific zone, allowing riders to travel from bus stop to bus stop within the zone. The service offers reduced wait times and improved local travel, Brent Forsyth, the city’s director of transit, said in an email to BarrieToday.
Alivia Davidson takes the bus almost daily. She said when she first heard about the city’s plan to expand the program, she was worried it would mean a reduction in service.
“I got a little nervous that they may be taking away stops that I might use,” she said, adding she doesn’t believe the routes she regularly travels are affected by the change at this time.
The idea of “ordering” a bus would be a bit of a hassle, she said, as she feels it would be less dependable and less efficient for her.
“If I had to order one and I had to be there by a specific time, and the bus is either transporting someone else or at a place where I couldn’t get it in an efficient manner, it could impact the waiting time. It could be more of a waiting time, which isn’t great,” she said.
Noyal Johny David, who travels from Barrie to Humber College five days a week, is happy with the idea, telling BarrieToday his daily commute from the north end of Barrie to the south has been reduced from one hour to about 45 minutes.
“It’s a 20- or 30-minute savings for me,” he said. “Barrie Transit is doing a great job for students like me. I am really happy with this new idea … Barrie is such a large city, and the bus routes here will be better if there are routes at different locations. There are some routes that are more remote … It will be beneficial and less waiting, I think.”
The first phase of the new network, the city noted in a news release earlier this week, will bring several key enhancements including:
- Expanding TOD zones to five areas (starting May 1)
- A new Express Route 400 between Park Place and Georgian College/Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre on Highway 400, operating with a 30-minute frequency on weekdays from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. (starting June 2)
- Added service coverage on Hanmer Street, Lakeside Trail and Amelia Street (starting June 2)
“Changing to on-demand service using smaller buses provides more efficient coverage in lower-density (and) -demand areas of the city. These service changes have been built to be cost neutral in terms of operating hours due to the Transit ON Demand service model, which allows the service to maintain (and add) coverage,” explained Forsyth.
Staff have received questions regarding the new network and how to use TOD, he acknowledged, but said they have been seeing “extremely positive results with face-to-face public interactions.”
“We would encourage riders to attend one of the in-person sessions — dates and times are available on the website — visit the downtown terminal or call Service Barrie to learn more,” he said. “Staff will also be completing route ride-alongs throughout the month of May to connect with riders on the upcoming changes.”
The city is also providing trips on TOD free for the month of May to encourage riders to try it out and become comfortable with the upcoming June 2 changes, he added.
