Round trips on one bus fare instead of two could be coming to Barrie Transit riders.
City councillors will consider a motion Wednesday night to convert the existing 75-minute continuous trip transfer system to a time-based system where transfers are valid for 90 minutes.
“That would be amazing," Claire Foster said outside the Barrie Public Library on Monday afternoon. “They don’t give you enough time, so it would be a lot easier.
“Especially for older people. They move slower, so it takes a lot longer to do their things," she added.
Foster, a Barrie resident, says she cannot always afford two bus fares of $3.50 each, so paying just once would help her, too.
Mark Gregory is a welder who works in south Barrie, and while the 90-minute policy wouldn’t help him get to and from work, he does take the bus to shop at the Bayfield Street malls in the north end.
“That would actually be pretty useful, for me and a lot of other people,” he said outside the Barrie Transit Terminal.
Converting the existing 75-minute continuous trip transfer system to a time-based system, where transfers are valid for 90 minutes, is an item for discussion at the finance and responsible governance meeting, a motion sponsored by Coun. Sergio Morales.
“This will be a system-wide benefit,” he said. “Whether it be seniors getting medication or parents running errands, this small change has the potential to make a big impact.”
Morales says other cities have had time-based transfers for a while now and that Barrie is one of a few cities that has a 75-minute transfer period, and that most are more.
“This will allow Barrie Transit riders to have more reliable transfers as they plan out their travel to work, errands and lives,” Morales said. “Improved reliability that allows some users to make round trips on one fare instead of two will encourage uptake in bus transit usage, further increasing Barrie Transit’s ridership.”
The Ward 9 councillor said continuous trip means you buy a fare and can only go in that one direction.
“Time-based trip means you buy a fare that is honoured for a specific amount of time, in all directions, including the return direction you bought it in,” he said.
Morales also says city staff have informed him this change can be made with a zero net new cost, or be cost-neutral
If passed Wednesday, the motion still requires city council approval.
