Mayor Phil Schaefer of East Zorra-Tavistock Township was on the inaugural trip for EZTransit, a new and free inter-regional transit service that will connect Stratford with Oxford County.
"I was pleased to be on the bus for the inaugural trip of the new EZTransit system,” Schaefer is quoted in a media release. “Staff and council worked hard to make this day happen. The final piece of the puzzle is ridership, and I encourage residents who wish to travel inside and outside the township to use this service and to provide their feedback during the pilot period."
Schaefer told StratfordToday that Oxford County had identified a need for some kind of transit service in the northern part of its region. Before the municipality could put out a request for proposal (RFP) to run the program, the COVID-19 pandemic occurred shortly after and the project was shelved.
“We decided last year that rather than going to RFP for a provider that we basically would buy a bus ourselves,” Schaefer said. “Set up our own transit system and do it as a pilot, see how it goes.”
EZTransit is a transit pilot project from the Township of East Zorra-Tavistock. It connects locations in Oxford County, Kitchener/Waterloo, Stratford, and Woodstock.
The two routes it operates run early mornings, afternoons, and early evenings Wednesday to Saturday.
Route 1 includes stops in Hickson, Tavistock, Innerkip, and Woodstock. It runs on Wednesday, Friday, and every other Saturday on even days.
Route 2 includes stops in Hickson, Innerkip, Tavistock, and Stratford. Route 2 runs on Thursday and every other Saturday on odd days.
The bus can carry 10 passengers, with an additional three accessibility secured spaces. Children under 13 must be accompanied by an adult.
Ridership is on a first-come, first-served basis.
Stratford residents can hop on at the transit terminal on Downie Street.
For the duration of the pilot project, EZTransit is free to ride. It is expected to last until the end of May. Schaefer said that it is meant to gauge ridership and feedback so that if they continue with the service they have a better idea of what cost to attach to it.
“We hope that after the pilot period, there may be some more municipal partners that may want to join with us and expand the service. And we'd be glad to talk to them.”
For more information, including maps of the routes and schedules, visit here.
