Beginning the Tuesday after Labour Day, PC Connect will offer increased frequency on its most popular route.
Changes to the public transit service, which provides transportation throughout Perth County, Stratford, St. Marys, Kitchener/Waterloo and London, will allow riders more options on the 'rural route' between Stratford, Mitchell, Listowel and Milverton.
Maggie Kerr, transit program manager with the County of Perth, told StratfordToday that changes were derived from and supported by ridership data and feedback received from the public.
The four new trip options take place at 7 a.m., 10 a.m., 2:30 p.m., and 5 p.m., creating a schedule that offers continuous service from 6 a.m. to 7:15 p.m.
"With over 12 hours of service a day (Monday-Friday), riders will be able to have more flexibility on when they travel, and will spend less time waiting on the bus."
Although the county doesn't require riders to declare their purpose of travel before riding, many have shared that they rely on the service to get to work, healthcare appointments, social service appointments, and to visit friends and family, Kerr said.
“In the world of public transit, frequency is freedom.” added Kerr via a media release. "Offering increased frequency means that riders will spend less time waiting for the bus, and will have the liberty to better align their travel with their own schedule and commitments. We are pleased to be able to offer more frequency where there is public transit demand, ultimately creating a faster, more reliable, and more efficient service.”
The new rural route was previously called Route A, which had twice as many riders are Rural Route B. That route will no longer be in operation as of Sept. 1.
A full list of routes with schedules and maps is available here. There is also a booking app, with ore information on that here.
An updated rural route Saturday schedule starts Sept. 5.
PC Connect started in 2020 and is funded through the provincial government's community transportation program. It has provided services to more than 23,000 riders since launch, according to the county.
