Guelph Transit Update (and it's much better)

[SeanofGTA]

This is apparently set up to put resources where people i.e. University Student Riders are. There will be a proper Growth Strategy to address gaps within this base system sometime in 2018. Also my friends in the city say they are looking at bendy buses and/or double decker buses with all that recent Government Money.

The real change of note for a system I found very frustrating and inefficient is the 99 route. That was what was being promoted in various forms by the last two Bus Managers, along with artics to run it. It would be akin to a subway spine with other routes leading into it, not following it to Guelph Central, which is still an incredibly inefficient way of doing things. It's still hub and spoke, albeit with a spine added. For a city of over 130,000, it's a small town system. And will be for the for-see-able future at this rate.

 

[steveintoronto]

This is apparently set up to put resources where people i.e. University Student Riders are.

Yeah, the September start for changes is a dead give-away on that. In all fairness, the Uni contributes financially to the 'university routes' run on a seasonal basis.

my friends in the city say they are looking at bendy buses and/or double decker buses with all that recent Government Money.

This is a case of where Fed Infrastructure funds makes a huge difference, because as it was, the system was going backwards, being cut to less than the bone. Some earlier reports and plans from managers talked of a route to K/W shared w/ GRT, but it was a pipe dream. Ditto for artics, which would require a new garage to house and service, but on the 99 route especially, it would be a game changer.

Until they abandon the habit of many of the buses meeting at Guelph Central where you get four and sometimes five buses all running the same route to get there, inefficiency is unavoidable. A grid system is going to have to be instituted at some point with the 99 being the way in to Guelph Central. It means transferring buses at major intersections, something oddly alien to Guelphites, but no different than considering the 99 route as a 'subway' or 'busway' downtown. And Guelph Central itself...I guess the thinking was to put it right by the old railway station, but in retrospect, it was a huge wasted investment. Credit to Councillor Bell for having the foresight to see it was manic to tear down the old coach terminal there and replace it with bus station that still doesn't have washrooms or sheltered waiting.

Some day the Guelph buses might even accept Presto Cards and offer an all-day transfer situation to GO. (There's only a co-fare at limited times of the day and routes, and even that was cut-back, not increased, a year or so ago)

 

[SeanofGTA]

Guelph has no plans to use Presto.

Look at the new map. Overlapping is kept to minimum.