Staff Report #1 – 2025 Service Plan – Conventional Transit

Staff Report #1

February 11, 2025

To All Members of the Accessible Public Transit Service Advisory Committee

Re: 2025 Service Plan – Conventional Transit

Recommendation

That the report be NOTED and FILED.

Background

At the January 29, 2025 meeting, the Commission approved the 2025 Conventional Transit Service Plan as set out below noting the changes represent approximately 18,000 additional service hours:

  1. Route 10 – Re-route service along Wonderland Road north and Fanshawe Park Road
  2. Route 28
    1. Weekday- Increase PM Peak round trip time from 40 minutes to 50 minutes
    2. Weekday- Increase PM Peak frequency from 40 minutes to 25 minutes
  3. Route 90
    1. Sunday- Increase Base Period frequency from 30 minutes to 20 minutes
    2. Sunday- Increase Peak Period round trip time from 60 minutes to 64 minutes and frequency from 20 minutes to 16 minutes
    3. Sunday- Increase Early Evening round trip time from 60 minutes to 75 minutes and frequency from 30 minutes to 25 minutes
  4. Route 127 – Introduce a new route operating between Western University and Capulet lane via Western, Sarnia, Wonderland and Beaverbrook

2025 represents the first year of the current five-year service plan. The draft plan proposals as well as the final recommendations, took direction from the approved five-year service plan, while also taking into consideration current operational issues considered the highest priority for improvements in 2025. Table I sets out the service changes for 2025.

Table I –2025 Conventional Transit Service Plan

Route Description of Service Change Annual Service Hours Peak Buses Rationale Service Area Impacted Recommendation Source
10 Routing Modification- re-route service along Wonderland Road North and Fanshawe Park Road 5,262 0 Expansion of Service All Operating Periods 2025-2029 Service Plan- 2025 recommendation
28 Weekday- Increase Round Trip Time from 40 minutes to 50 minutes and increase frequency from 40 minutes to 25 minutes during PM Peak 1,260 1 Schedule Adherence Weekday PM Peak Public Feedback
90 Sunday – Increase Base period frequency from 30 minutes to 20 minutes between 9am and noon 186 0 Increased Frequency Sunday Base AM Scheduling and Planning Committee
Sunday – Increase Peak period Round Trip Time from 60 minutes to 64 minutes and frequency from 20 minutes to 16 minutes between noon and 5pm 310 0 Schedule Adherence Sunday Peak Scheduling and Planning Committee
Sunday – Increase Early Evening Round Trip Time from 60 minutes to 75 minutes and frequency from 30 minutes to 25 minutes between 5pm and 10pm 310 0 Schedule Adherence Sunday Early Evening Scheduling and Planning Committee
127 Introduce new Route 127 10,927 5 Crowding All Operating Periods 2025-2029 Service Plan- 2025 recommendation
Total 18,255 6

Cherryhill Community Bus

The Community Bus service is specially designed to serve the needs of seniors and persons with mobility challenges. Service is provided, where possible, to the doors of specified seniors residences, medical facilities and shopping centres. The Cherryhill Community Bus service has been operating for many years and has continued to grow in popularity resulting in the need to add an additional bus five days a week and a third bus on Wednesdays for the growing ridership demand.

As part of the 2025 Draft Service Plan, requests had been made by some Community Bus passengers to modify one of the days of service to provide service to the Giant Tiger and Huron and Highbury. As decisions regarding the retail locations served by this service are made through a consensus of the residents in the area, a public participation meeting was held at the Cherryhill Branch of the London Public Library. At the information session, there was a survey provided to attendees to gauge overall support of the changes as well as which day (if any) they would like to see modified to be able to extend the service to Huron and Highbury.

The results of the survey showed no consensus on the proposed change. While many were in support of having Giant Tiger as a retail option there was a lot of concern over the possibility of losing one of the existing retail locations.

Further assessment was completed to determine if an extension of service to the Giant Tiger near Masonville Mall could be accommodated within the existing Friday schedule. Through the assessment it was determined that there would be adequate time to add another drop off/pick up location at the Giant Tiger Plaza.

Further discussion will be held with the plaza owner to determine if they would be amenable to allowing us to operate the Community bus on their property on Fridays. Should permission be obtained, the additional drop off/pick up location in the Giant Tiger Plaza in the Masonville area will be added to the Route 55 Friday Community Bus route.

The recommended change will be cost neutral in nature and will not have any impact on existing Community Bus Routing.

Next Steps

Subject to Commission approval of the 2025 Conventional Transit Service Plan, the next steps associated with the implementation of the service changes include:

  • preparation/production of new schedules, layovers/time points, public timetables and Operator sign-up;
  • updating the AVL system;
  • updating schedule information for Google Maps; and
  • undertaking a communication program including printed Ride Guide maps, on-board and stop level notices, website updates and social media, as well as internal information screen postings and Operator information sessions at signup.

Recommended by:

Katie Burns, Director of Planning

Concurred in by:

Kelly S. Paleczny, General Manager