By Doug Draper
It wasn’t all that long ago that a previous Niagara, Ontario regional council and the councils of 12 local municipalities in Niagara all but stalled out on launching a first-of-a-kind, specialized transit service for the whole region.
Had it not been for the last-minute support some five years ago of one of the smaller rural councils in Niagara – that of former West Lincoln mayor Katie Trombetta – the regional government would not have had the backing it needed among its own flock and the local municipalities to launch a transit service for countless thousands of Niagara residents who can no longer drive and require it for medical and other basic needs.
Today, that service has grown by leaps and bounds, from a ridership totaling 4,524 in 2007 (its inaugural year) to 13,975 in 2010. And there is every reason to believe these ridership figures will continue growing exponentially as growing numbers of aging Niagarians and others with challenges making it impossible for them to drive find out it is there to serve them.
“I am really proud of these results,” said Kim Koz, a manager of fleet services for Niagara’s regional government of the jumping ridership figures at the first meeting of 2011 of the region’s transporation subcommittee. “It’s amazing and it just keeps growing. There is definitely a need for the service out there.”
The Niagara Specialized Transit Service now serves those who cannot get themselves around the region for medical appointments, employment and educational purposes. It is operated by Red Cross Niagara on behalf of the regional government.
To find out more about who is eligible to use this specialized service, when and where it is available and how much it costs users, call 905-680-2052 or toll free, 1-8666-487-7765, or click on
http://www.niagararegion.ca/government/initiatives/nst/booking.aspx#tty .
Now the next step for the regional government and its municipalities is to work together to create a successful inter-municipal transit system for all Niagara residents.
(Visit Niagara At Large at www.niagaraatlarge.com for more news and commentary on matters of interest and concern to our greater binational Niagara region.)
Niagara At Large 
It’s good to see that service is provided across the Region. However, why do people need to Apply for permission to use the system? Why can’t anyone use it, as anyone is allowed to simply … get on a bus?
Didn’t Niagara-on-the-Lake just create/support a system which serves a spread-out area, using a transit-taxi cross? Somewhat more costly for the user than public transit (and a lot cheaper than owning a car), but definitely cheaper for the taxpayer. Wonder how their fare compares with the $7.50 per ride-sector of Niagara Specialised Transit?
And, it provides service for rural people who can’t access busses along city streets … until they are transported to the city.
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I would sure love to pay ONLY $7.50 each way to Welland from my community; instead even though I have a disability too, I have to pay $70 … for a taxi because I don’t drive.
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