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Niagara-On-The-Lake jumps on board NRT OnDemand transit service

Coun. Norm Arsenault said the option of four vehicles would be particularly beneficial to the town’s large migrant worker population, who currently lack meaningful transit service
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Niagara regional chair Jim Bradley next to one of the NRT OnDemand vehicles. Luke Edwards/Torstar

Niagara-on-the-Lake will be joining Grimsby, Lincoln, West Lincoln, and Pelham in the region’s new on demand ride-sharing service NRT OnDemand.

The program launched earlier this month in West Niagara, offering residents the ability to book trips on their smartphone, with flexible pick up locations at the nearest intersection, and drop-off locations in town, as well as regional transit hubs in St. Catharines and Welland.

NOTL will now be joining the list of municipalities opting into the OnDemand service, as council adopted a motion during their most recent meeting to move forward with the one-year pilot project.

The report submitted to council included three potential options, ranging from a fleet of two to four vehicles, with the option of two vehicles being the preferred option given its revenue neutral impact on the budget.

Interim chief administrative officer (CAO) Sheldon Randall said the two-vehicle option would cost the town about the same as its current fixed bus route.

“It is not going to cost us anymore than our existing fixed route transit, so it is about the same cost. For what we are paying to have two fixed buses running a fixed route, this service is not going to cost us any more.”

Coun. Norm Arsenault said the option of four vehicles would be particularly beneficial to the town’s large migrant worker population, who currently lack meaningful transit service.

“I think this is an opportunity to improve the service, to the point that migrant workers can now use this new service. It will improve service for anyone who lives in the rural areas, because right now they are getting zero service.”

For the sake of timeliness and expediency, council ultimately opted to accept the recommendations of the staff report, and go for the two-vehicle option, with the possibility of moving up to four vehicles, should funding be available through the region and town budget.

CAO Randall said one of the town’s major hurdles in funding a four-vehicle fleet was declining parking revenue.

“We don’t have the money in the operating budget or the capital budget to fund this. It is a tough year. We fund most of our transit right now from parking revenues. I think our revenues are down $500,000 or more. That is why we didn’t recommend going with the four-vehicle program right now.”

With council’s decision to move forward with the leaner two-vehicle option, the town is expected to launch NRT OnDemand service in November.

Coun. Sandra O’Connor said the service will be a step forward, but a more robust four-vehicle option may benefit some of the town’s rural areas, and hopes to see the service extended down the road.

“I think this is a wonderful opportunity, and I thank staff for pursuing it. I don’t want to delay it. My ultimate goal would be option two. St. David’s has been looking for some transit options that we have not yet provided.”
 

- Bryan Levesque, Local Journalism Initiative, Grimsby Lincoln News