By Doug Draper
“Well, well, well, they’ve arrived,” said Debbie Zimmerman with one of the eight brand new “Niagara Region Transit” buses parked behind her in the lot of Niagara, Ontario’s regional headquarters.
Debbie Zimmerman, Grimsby regional councillor and former chair of the region, speaking at the launch of Niagara Region Transit. Photo by Doug Draper
Zimmerman, a Grimsby regional councillor who was chair of Niagara’s regional government a decade ago when she and at least enough of those who sat on the region’s council at the time, embraced a vision of a transit system that would serve all of Niagara.
This Friday, September 16, the first step in that vision has come true with the official launch of Niagara Region Transit, an inter-municipal bus service that does more to connect people across this region through a transit service since a cross-Niagara trolley system went out of service some 50 years ago.
A decade ago, said Zimmerman, Niagara’s region began “falling behind” other regions in the province in a number of areas, including pushing forward with progressive public transit systems. She reminded listeners at the launch for this new system, that it is only in a pilot stage and that this pilot “depends on the success of this system. … This is our future folks. We need a (region-wide transit system) to keep this region (of Niagara) working.”
In other words, all those across this region who have been asking for a more regional transit system for Niagara ought to start filling those buses. They have to start using it, lest it go away rather than grow into a system that will allow virtually anyone in any community across this region to take a bus rather than drive their car from one point to another.
Niagara Region's public works commissioner Ken Brothers, Niagara Region's chair Gary Burroughs, Port Colborne Mayor Vance Badawey, Grimsby regional councillor Debbie Zimmerman and St. Catharines regional councillor Tim Rigby do the ribbon cutting for the official launch of Niagara Region Transit
Gary Burroughs, the chair of Niagara Region, called the launch of Niagara Region Transit “a day that has been a long time coming.”
The drive, said Burroughs, is to work in partnership with the three major transit systems in Niagara Falls, Welland and, St. Catharines, to continue making the system as accessible and as affordable as possible for those who would opt to use it rather than commute to one destination to another in the region in a car.
Tim Rigby, a St. Catharines regional councilor who was a leader on a transportation subcommittee for the region at a time, a decade ago, when the call for a more regional transit system was coming from growing numbers of Niagara residents, said he hopes this system is also helpful to everyone from seniors who may no longer drive cars to people who need it to find their way to a job and young people who may prefer or need a public transit system to get around.
The way this regional transit system works now, in its pilot stage, the routes run between St. Catharines, Welland and Niagara Falls, with links to and from Port Colborne and Fort Erie. Passengers on the system can move between their home territory and a destination, using the shortest route between the two, for a single one-way fare of $5 fare using both the regional and municipal transit systems. Another $5 fare would cover the return trip.
If you have always believed in a regional transit system as an alternative to car and truck travel across Niagara, now is the time to use it. Let’s not take the risk of losing it somewhere down the line due to a lack of ridership.
You can learn all about this new Niagara Region Transit system and its routes and schedules by going to any server you have and kicking in www.niagararegion.ca and following the links to transit, or by calling in 905-685-1571, ext. 3550 or pounding in the same extention after dialing a toll free number – 1-800-263-7215.
Niagara At Large is sure we will hear from residents across this region on the benefits and possible problems around this pilot regional transit system as it gets underway. We welcome your thoughts for how this system can be a benefit for you and for how it can be improved to benefit everyone who may need or prefer to use it.
Share your views in the comment boxes below.
Niagara At Large 
These systems are always a load on taxpayers that never use them , because they mostly can not pay for themselves !!!!!!!!! Will this one be any different – not likely !!!!!!!!!
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William, do roads, bridges, traffic coordination, parking lots and other auto friendly “services” ever pay for themselves? Of course not. I have been subsidizing drivers for years through my taxes, as well as consumer purchases (such as grocery stores that provide “free” parking), and it’s about time that I have a way to get around the region as well. This is a great alternative to me having to pay $70 for a round trip for what amounts to about 15 km from my office location.
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The flaws in service to the Southern Tier have already surfaced. Students requiring transportation to Niagara College have not had their needs met.
Teachers ,parents and Grandparents have become the regular mode of transportation from Fort Erie and Port Colborne to the College.
Students whose needs have been ignored in the Southern Tier have called for a Rally Monday the 26th. at The Core.Welland Campus 12;30 pm to bring attention to the problem. Its to be hoped someone will rectify the problem that has been expressed but ignored many times over,
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It is a start, but the stops are few and far between,students from Stevensville have to drive to Fort Erie (Walmart) toget a bus to Brock , crazy, while the same bus could pick them up at Black Ceek Community Centre, just off the cloverleaf on Netherby Road, the Yo-Yos at Region don’t believe in simplicity.also the population has more than doubled during the past 40 years of Region, the Councillors at Region think that they are serving the people by making life difficult and tedious, why are they so obtuse?
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I prefer not a lot of stops, as it extends the amount of time as it is – these are set up as express routes, to get people to the other city as fast as possible. Under the old system, I was unable to use it because a trip from my house in St. Catharines to Welland downtown took two hours … as it did go through Brock, Niagara College, etc. and I would have to transfer 3 – 4 buses, and certainly did not make the trip amenable. I like the more direct routes now.
During the school year, there is service between the college and Brock, and I believe it would be linked to the the Port Colborne and Fort Erie links. Might be a good idea to push for more frequent links there, so they match up with both the regional and the college-Brock system.
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Yes, it’s a start, and a good one! George and Sue, what do you expect? Regional transit has to start somewhere, and servicing the larger population centres makes the most sense. As it is, even with the major population centres, hardly anyone is taking these buses! For there to be a true regional transit system will take a few years as the infrastructure and revenue both increase. You can’t expect the transit system to be put in place one day and magically work. for the whole region.
I can understand student’s frustration at our transit system here. It must be horrible to get to school, if you don’t live in the same municipality. I know I tried to take transit from the St. Catharines terminal to the Welland terminal using Brock-Niagara Welland campus connection. It took about 2.5 hours and cost $8.25 since no transfers are allowed. Ridiculous!
All we can do is support regional transit as much as possible at the moment, and have patience. It works for me right now, and obviously for a few others (Angela) but if we don’t get more people on these buses, it will surely fail, and communities like Stevensville, Ridgeway, Virgil, Lincoln and NOTL will NEVER be serviced by public transit.
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We have to get the transit services that are running the regional program to advertise, advertise, advertise and once a month have a free ride to any takers … I am still receiving blank looks when I tell people the regional buses have started. I am going back on them on a couple of time this week, once to look after some pre-election business as the electoral office is in Welland and another time to file papers in court.
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