It’s been a busy April for Transit stuff even before we get to Transit Advisory Committee meeting. Transit business has been discussed at city council, and the usual end of the school year schedule shifts are coming, but there are also some new permanent changes coming in May, and then there are some more changes being prepped for September. There’s a lot of TAC to cover, so let’s start covering it.
NOTE #1: This meeting takes place at 5:30 pm in Committee Meeting Room A at City Hall.
NOTE #2: There were no formal reports attached to these items, so the information presented here is incomplete.
Terms of Reference Update: Council Approval – This one should be fairly straightforward. Since the last meeting of the TAC, city council ratified the decision of Committee of the Whole to approve the new Terms of Reference for the committee.
Fare Strategy – The Fare Strategy Review results and recommendations were presented at Committee of the Whole on April 4, and they will be before council again for ratification on April 25. The strategy was not presented at the previous open meeting of TAC in March, a timing issue apparently, but Chair Susan Carey told Committee of the Whole that there was a meeting between TAC and transit staff before the April 4 CoW meeting.
Transit Route 19 – There are some changes coming to the #19 Hanlon Creek route on May 7 as the schedule is tweaked to better align it with the #99 Mainline, and add a new transfer point for people moving between those two buses. Transit is also currently reviewing the options in terms of connecting the #19 to a stop at Stone Road Mall, so there should be an update about that as well.
TAC Members’ Rider Feedback – This is the opportunity for members of the committee to offer some first hand feedback about the current transit service and notes that they’ve received from other riders they know. Committee members have not filed any advanced notice about the issues they want to raise.
Changes to the May 2023 Sign-Up – As recently announced, several transit routes are getting new names on May 7. The new route names will now have a uniformity of designation to reflect the street that marks the furthest point out that the bus goes. For example, the #10 Paisley bus will be renamed the #10 Imperial, since that is the last street it travels on before turning around and coming back downtown.
General Transit Update – Management staff will be on-hand to offer updates on any pressing transit business that’s not been covered in any of the above topics and categories.
Electric Bus Update – You’ve probably been seeing Guelph’s first electric bus out and about as it’s being put through its paces. Likely, staff will provide an update on how operator training has been proceeding and when the bus might be formally incorporated into the fleet as well as a potential update on the delivery of the next three buses.
Guelph Politico 