I took the bus for a day in Regina to find out why more people don't

The thought of using public transit in Regina rarely crosses my mind.

Amongst those privileged enough to own a car, I'm not alone. Regina's Transportation Master Plan states that during peak periods, 85 per cent of people rely on private vehicles to get around; 67 per cent of those trips are made by single occupant vehicles.

In an effort to understand why people don't turn to transit not only out of necessity but for convenience, I decided I would rely on Regina Transit to get around for one frigid day earlier this month. That involved getting to and from work, running an errand, and picking up my daughter from daycare.

I left my house around the same time I normally would to see how the trip to work would pan out.

I got picked up on time, at a bus stop that's close to my house.

But somewhere along the route the bus I was riding ended up falling two minutes behind schedule.

As I was getting off the bus atthe university transit station, where I was supposed to transfer, I saw the next bus I needed to get on leave. I hunkered down for a 30-minute wait.

Thankfully, the university's transit stations are sheltered, so I wasn't quite stranded in the elements. But 30 minutes of standing outside in temperatures below -20 C was not an enjoyable experience, even with a few panes of Plexiglass between me and the cold.

Eventually, the next bus showed up and I made my way to the CBC broadcast centre, albeit 30 minutes late.

Over the course of the day, I fielded comments on social media about the transit system in the Queen City.

Vincent Thunderchild, a fellow who I skateboard with, told me he would prefer to ride his board from his house to SaskatchewanPolytechnic because it's usually a bit quicker. In the winter, he rides the bus, which gives him an opportunity to catch up on his homework, read a book, or even take a nap.

Midday, I tried toget some groceries.

It took me about 40 minutes to get from the office to the Superstore on Rochdale Boulevard.Google Maps said this was a 20-minute drive. Getting from the store back home in the Glencairn neighbourhood (I purposely factored a cross-city route into my day), took just over an hour when it would be 15 minutes by car.

The long trip gave me time toreflect on some of the things I had enjoyed about riding the bus so far. Iwasn't stressed about negotiating the road conditions as a driver. I was also seeing more of the city than I normally would if I were focused on the road.

And I found talking to my fellow transit riders to be one of the pleasant surprises of my adventure.

One woman told me taking the bus is marginally cheaper than driving her car to work, as she has to pay for parking.

However, she said she hasa five-block walk from home to get to the closest bus stop, which was made more difficult by the fact that home and business owners hadn't cleared snowfrom the sidewalks.

I noticed many stops downtown were free of snow, but that wasn't consistent along the routes I had taken so far.

Upon arriving at home, I was forced to drop everything I was carrying and head right back out to catch the next bus in order to pick up my daughter on time.

I made it to the bus stop with two minutes to spare, but the bus I needed to get on had fallen off schedule. Based on my experiences earlier in the day, I knew I wouldn't get to the stops I needed to hit on time. I waited downtown for about 20 to 30 minutes before I made it onto the bus that would take me to my daughter's daycare.

By the time I made it there, the transit schedule had changed and busses were running hourly.

Temperatures had dropped through the day, and it would be about 40 minutes until the next bus came.I couldn't justify risking my daughter's health to keep relying on the transit system.Had I been solo, I would have toughed it out to see how my experiment played out not with my tiny human in tow, though.

I am fortunate enough that my wife was at home and willing to pick us up. I made it home about an hour and a half after I had wanted to be, but we were warm, safe and sound.

'Regina Transit sucks'

"Regina Transit sucks" was something I heard a lot through the day.

Some people were under the impression taking transit adds at least an hour to either end of their trip. In Regina Transit's defence, most of my trips took about twice as long as a drive to the same destination would take.

Critics aside, I met a number of people who were satisfied with the way Regina Transit serves them.

Many people were in the same situation as I was, with a bus stop within reasonable walking distance from their home.

Many had simply learned to adapt their schedules around the transit system even if it took them a little longer to get around.

Investments can changecar culture: planning expert

Regina's Transportation Master Plan, published in 2017, states public transit options are becoming more appealing as the city grows in size and population.

"To improve public service you need to attract people, and it's like a positive feedback loop," he said.

"When you provide more service, your success might attract more service, and at some point (the city) would make more money."

When Diab moved tothe Bridge City a year ago, he originally resisted the idea of getting a car in favour of walking or using the transit system there.

"The transit system in Saskatoon is very similar to Regina.Saskatoon's system:it's not clear in terms of planning where to go and the frequency of the busses doesn't help," Diab said. "You have to put in more time before your trip."

Diab said there are two transit models that are considered when a city looks at making changes to its system.

A model that addresses coverage is considered, where a city strives to create transit stops within 400 or 600 metres of where people might need to go.

The other model focuses ondecreasing door-to-door time for transit users by providing more frequency between stops.

To discourage car use, Diab suggested reducing the schedule intervalsfrom half an hour to 20 minutes.

"It can't happen overnight," he said. "You have to work in two places:you have to work on the attractiveness of public transit by improving the frequency (and)improving the awareness of public transit."

Plan echoes expert's advice

The Transportation Master Plan indicates that through capital investments, on average, between 2012 and 2016, the city spent about $6.4 million on transit. In terms of operating budget allocations, the city spent $30.6 million on transit between 2012 and 2016.

The plan appears to combine both of Diab'sideas in terms of improving coverage and frequency of service.

"Transit will work toward becoming a more accessible system with frequent and reliable service, extended hours, and enhanced customer amenities," the report reads.

"Making transit more convenient and reliable can be accomplished by shortening walking distances to transit stops, reducing wait times, and decreasing travel times."

The plan recommends ensuring that 90 per cent of people at secondary and post-secondary schools and workplaces are within 400 metres of a transit stop, and within two kilometres of an express route.

The report also recommended tying transit to special destinations, land uses and the growth of Regina's city size and population.