Greater Sudbury is ending Sudbury Transit bus service to St. Gabriel's Villa in Chelmsford, one year after it was implemented on a trial basis.
The culprit behind the decision is low ridership, which means that offering transcab service to the long-term care home is more cost-effective than a full transit route.
“Service to St. Gabriel’s Villa via conventional transit did not generate significant ridership,” says a report going to the community services committee July 11. “The recovery ratio was consistently below one per cent each month. Service will therefore be discontinued as of Sept. 2, 2016.”
According to figures from Sudbury Transit, the highest number of riders in a month since the route began operating in June 2015 was 12, which took place in May of this year. The only other month with double-digit ridership was in March of this year, when 11 people boarded the bus at that stop. In November 2015, just two riders boarded the bus at the St. Gabriel's stop in the entire month.
In total, it cost the transit $18,837 to service a total of 88 riders who boarded in the last 12 months from the home, a cost recovery ratio of 0.7 per cent. That falls well short of the 25 per cent ratio transit aims to meet.
“Transcab service is a cost effective and efficient way of providing transit service to low density areas within the city limits,” the report says.
“It is the extension of the conventional transit system and is utilized by many of our transit customers. Trans Cab Service is currently available along MR15 between Blezard Valley and Chelmsford to connect to Conventional transit routes. St. Gabriel’s Villa is located along the Trans Cab route and as such is eligible for this Trans Cab Service."
