Regional councillor's motion asks to bring back 2 bus routes that were axed during the pandemic

A regional councillor says she wants to see Grand River Transitre-introduce two bus routes that were axed during the pandemic.

Regional Coun. Colleen James is set to tablea notice of motion during a council meeting Wednesday night to askfor transit routes 91 and 92 to be reinstatedbefore September and become a permanent service as of next year.

Route 91 ran late at night before COVID-19in Kitchener and Waterloo but was axed during the pandemic due to lack of ridership.

James saidRoute 92 ran during peak hours as well. She said she heard from students and the community that there is a need to bring the route back.

"We see our ridership numbers and they're up and one of the things I'm conscious of is we need to make our transportation more efficient and effective in order to keep encouraging people to use it," James told CBC News.

"I think there is a demand. Sometimes we make decisions and we really don't think about the implications of them years later."

A report in March showed2023 was the busiest year ever for Grand RiverTransit withridership numbers at 26.4 million, up by 48.3 per cent from 2022.

James said she also heard from the community that there'sa safety and financialcomponent withbringing theroutesback.

"There are students and people who are working late at night, shift workersand business that are open in uptown and part of what I was concerned about and why I thought there was a need to bring this was to address some of thosesafety concerns with how people are travelling," she said.

She said many students and other residents are spending more money taking an Uberor taxi to get around and to go toschool and work.

"Individuals who are working, their wages are going right into taking a cab home, so it offsets that. More money in peoples' pocket," she said.

James said part of her motion will askstaff to see if reintroducing the bus routes is feasible and whether it can be an item to consider during budget talks.

The UW NDP club started a petition asking for more transit options late at night in Waterloo.

Damian Mikhail, co-president of the UW NDP, told CBC News earlier this month that students need the service because they're in uptown working, studying or socializing.

"When you're working until ... sometimes 4:00 a.m.in in uptown, closing things up, you don't have a way to get home without acar," he said.

"We're also talking about safety because walking home late at night, it doesn't feel safe and often it isn't. So having that bus there to get you home safely and quickly [is]extremely important."

Wednesday's regional council meeting is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.