Collingwood Transit's weekend crosstown route will be switching to on-demand service only starting this Saturday.
Saturday and Sunday rides on the crosstown route must now be scheduled in advance using a mobile app, website, or by phone at least 30 minutes and up to seven days in advance of a ride.
The east and west routes will remain conventional bus schedules with timed stops, only the crosstown route is impacted by the latest change.
The switch has been pushed back a couple of times, the latest being in June when the town's director of public works, engineering and environmental services, Peggy Slama, announced the town would be running a hybrid of on-demand and conventional transit routes on weekends starting June 10.
Now that the town has announced a fully on-demand weekend transit model, buses will not be making the regular timed routes and checking bus stops.
The next phase of the on-demand switch roll out is for on-demand transit on weekday evenings as well as weekends. This would take place after a three-month review of the first phase of the roll out. The final phase is a fully on-demand system.
According to the town, on-demand differs from conventional (route-based) transit because there is no fixed route or schedule. In an on-demand system the buses are dispatched on a request basis by customers booking rides in advance. Rides can be booked via cell phone or landline by calling 705-446-1196 or through the Blaise website or mobile app. A free account is required. More information on the town website, plus a "book your ride" link is available here.
The idea behind on-demand transit is a more efficient system and shorter travel time for riders since the bus is dispatched based on rider demands.
The Blue Mountains link route is not part of the on-demand pilot program.
