As of Saturday, users of accessible transit will have a new option to get around town.
First announced back in October, TransitPLUS is a partnership between Collingwood, Wasaga Beach, and Clearview Township in a joint contract with Landmark Bus to provide accessible transit to the three communities.
TransitPLUS is a door-to-door service serving residents that require accessible transportation and will replace the previous contracts with Red Cross and Ace Cabs.
During Monday’s (Dec. 12) development and operations services standing committee meeting, Operations and Transit Co-ordinator Kris Wiszniak told town councillors that the process for on-boarding clients for the new service is currently ongoing, and the number of new clients signing up for the service is “surprising.”
Wiszniak said one of the factors contributing to the increase in registered riders is that the previous service under Red Cross did not accommodate clients under 18 years old, whereas the new service does.
“We also have new hours of service, which are operating a little bit more frequently,” he said. “I think we’re going to have more flexibility about how we move rides around in the off-hours.”
TransitPLUS will operate the same hours as the Colltrans conventional transit in Collingwood, seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Fare for adults will be $2, and students/seniors will be $1.50. The regular Collingwood transit service, Colltrans, also includes wheelchair-accessible and low-floor design buses for users.
The after-hours accessible taxi service provided by Ace Cabs will continue to operate until Dec. 19, when council will consider a motion to extend those services until Jan. 6, 2023 during the transition to TransitPLUS.
Ace Cabs serves about 15 clients through their program and provided between 600 and 700 rides in 2021.
In Wasaga Beach and Clearview, this new contract marks the first time accessible transit is being provided through their town services, and launched in November. In Collingwood, the contract will replace the existing town contracts with Red Cross and Ace Cabs for accessible transit and launches officially on Dec. 17.
New riders who have not used the Red Cross service will be required to pre-register with their application by calling Landmark Bus at 705-446-1196 or emailing [email protected]. Active Red Cross clients who are currently using the accessible services within Collingwood will not be required re-apply for TransitPLUS.
The town is advising riders to call or email to register as soon as possible.
Under the previous contracts, the Town of Collingwood paid Red Cross $134,000 per year, and Ace Cabs $75,000 per year for a total of $209,000 per year.
Under the new Landmark contract, the town will be paying about $250,230 per year for their service.
For more information on transit, click here.
