The wheels on Simcoe County buses could go round and round first between Midland and Barrie, then expanded to linking Collingwood and Bradford with Barrie.
County councilors took a first look at a transit plan that would provide $7 one-way trips between smaller communities and major destinations such as Georgian College and the RVH. The final phase would link Alliston and Bradford and Midland and Orillia.
Innisfil Deputy Mayor Lynn Dollin said Barrie and Orillia need to hop aboard the project that will bring people to their communities to work, learn and shop. They need to be prepared to fuel the project as well as create links and integrate fares with their own transit systems, she said.
“It involves Barrie and Orillia being at the table,” she said. “Ask them how interested they are in partnering with the county on transit.”
The county is in its early planning stages, as councilors took a first look at possible linkages and debated whether to roll out all routes at once but with few routes or roll out the higher-demand routes, likely the Midland-Barrie linkage, first, with lots of trips.
The cost to run the buses is projected to cost $3.3 million per year, regardless of whether the county opts for more service on fewer routes or for full system roll-out with fewer trips.
The cost of small, 25-seat buses would be amortized over several years, at about $280,000 annually. Barrie has space in its new transit garage, which opened last summer, for county buses, County CAO Mark Aitken said.
To offset the system costs, the county would receive gas tax revenue and the county could also approach major retail destinations and employers for support. As well, the county would also save money on taxis for social assistance recipients, as an Essa-Barrie link has already shown to reduce that bill.
Engineering, planning and environment manager Debbie Korolnek advised councilors to build ridership on one route, then add another.
“A staged rollout lets us provide better service. It takes us longer to get to all the communities but allows us to provide full service on a single route,” she said. “We can do it slowly, rather than eating the elephant in one bite.”
Tiny Township Mayor George Cornell liked the idea of creating the Midland-Barrie route first and building ridership on that route, before expanding to other routes.
“We have the tree,” he said, then the county can add to it.
Springwater Mayor Bill French wasn’t keen on the Midland-Barrie route, which didn’t go up Bayfield Street and through Midhurst, but along Hwy. 93.
“Most of our growth will be Midhurst and Route 1 misses it entirely. Elmvale would be in need of transportation now or soon,” he said.
“They’re older (communities). Hillsdale is younger and they’re not going to use transportation… I see it as a giant flaw. One of our main routes has missed the mark.”
The county, however, is looking at providing efficient rather than a “cumbersome ride” between centres so people can get to appointments and class, said Korolnek.
“This is meant to get people from hub to hub. If we put on too many stops, we have issues with bus pads and accessibility,” she added. “When those communities (Midhurst and Springwater), there’d be local buses that connect into the regional transit system. There’s be a Midhurst bus that would connect in.”
County staff will take a closer look at the route phase-in approach.
