Changes are coming to the way Belleville Transit operates its buses.
A Transit Master Plan will be coming to the Transit Operations Committee and eventually to city council
in the coming weeks.
John Hubbell, a transit specialist with consulting firm HDR, says the main concerns the public has with the transit service involve taking too long to get to a destination, having to use too many transfers, and buses not arriving or leaving on time.
The consultant says he’ll be proposing a less circular route system with more focus on direct routes on about six major corridors in Belleville connecting the most popular destinations such as the Quinte Mall and Loyalist College.
That change will increase the frequency of buses running the main routes and shorten the length of the trips.
“I’d recommend investing more in the popular routes because more people will be happy with the service than if you’re trying to be everything to everyone. When you run transit that way you end up pleasing no one.”
Hubbell says he does not recommend providing free bus passes to high school students, however, a proposal to do just that will be going to city council for discussion in the near future.
“Providing public transit costs money and in my opinion people should be paying for what is a valuable service. The more revenue the better service you can provide.”
Meanwhile discussions continue between the Transit Operations Committee and Loyalist College officials on a survey of students to determine if a Belleville Transit/Loyalist College bus pass would be feasible.
