The first major reorganization of Greater Sudbury Transit since amalgamation got the green light from city council Tuesday, with new routes and hubs to hit the streets in August.
Michelle Ferrigan, the city's director of transit services, outlined the highlights of the first stage of the reform plan, which is being implemented within the exisiting transit budget.
Key among those changes is a reduction of routes to 27 from 38, with some poor performing routes being dropped in favour of more frequent service on the most heavily used ones.
New hubs beyond downtown – one in the South End and another in New Sudbury – mean that all buses will no longer loop downtown. Instead, they will will loop into the new hubs, providing more frequent access to different parts of the city, as well as shorter trips.
Once the changes are implemented, bus transfers will last longer – 90 minutes – and riders can use them to get back on the same bus. Previously, transfers could only be used for a different destination.
The routes will be the same on Sundays and holidays, although hourly service will still be the norm.
The routes themselves will be broken down into categories. Frequent routes are the ones most used by riders; core routes connect the three hubs to one another with frequent service; and neighbourhood hubs run closer to living areas, but are less frequent. Areas not covered by transit or people using Handi Transit will be connected using special requests that link users to the hubs.
Ferrigan said the changes will benefit the vast majority of users, but some people likely will have to walk longer to the bus stop, or may see less frequent service.
But if a major problem emerges, she said adjustments can be made.
“This plan is not set in stone,” Ferrigan said. “It's not like we will implement this plan in August and it will never change ... If something really is wrong, we're not going to leave it if it's not working.
“(But) we believe with this new route structure will increase ridership.”
Councillors were impressed by the plan.
“You did a great job — amazing work,” said Ward 2 Coun. Michael Vagnini. “I support it 100 per cent.”
“This project is transformational for our community,” agreed Ward 12 Coun. Joscelyne Landry-Altmann.
“It's good to see — we've been talking about this a long time,” said Ward 6 Coun. René Lapierre.
“We're a driving community,” because of the size of the area, but Lapierre said the reforms should make the system more useful to residents.
Ferrigan also recommend future fare increases be based on 25-cent increments to reduce the need to find the right change. A standard fare would be set for all riders, with discounts being offered for such things as monthly passes.
