Transit Windsor’s new east end transit terminal is now officially operational.
An official ribbon cutting ceremony was held Tuesday morning at the new terminal at 7310 Tecumseh Road East, right near the intersection with Lauzon Parkway.
Executive Director of Transit Windsor, James Chacko, says it’s expected the terminal will see around 3,000 riders per day.
“There will be about 454 buses, every day, going through this terminal on Monday to Friday. Reduced number on the weekends and on holidays. Reducing down to about 150-200 depending on the service level for a weekend or a holiday,” he says.
The new facility features a main passenger platform with shelters, benches, bike parking, enhanced capacity for existing and future routes, a layover area, and a dedicated operator facility.
All public transit services previously operating at Tecumseh Mall were relocated to the new East End Transit Terminal on September 6.
Chacko says this is a city-owned facility and will allow for a better overall flow.
“They’re not congested by travelling through the Tecumseh Mall property; this also is a much bigger footprint. It allows for more bays, allows for buses to be parked for waiting periods, and just overall functions much better,” he says. “This is a purpose-built facility to support Transit Windsor as opposed to the previous terminal at the mall, which was basically trying to fit to make the best use of a limited space there.”
Riders are encouraged to review updated schedules and maps, which includes information on revised stop locations.
Chacko says business and residential growth is one reason they looked at this space for the new terminal.
“Tecumseh Road and Lauzon Parkway is a very busy corridor; there are a large number of businesses in the area, and there are long-term plans for future residential expansion,” he says. “One of those is the reason we left the Tecumseh Mall property, as they have indicated and have submitted plans as they look to develop some residential housing components to their property.”
The city says the new terminal was completed within its approved budget of $8.1 million. The city provided $3.2 million for the project along with $2.7 million from the federal government and $2.2 million from the provincial government.
In late July, the city opened an upgraded West End Terminal on Prince Road at Hotel-Dieu Grace Healthcare.