A local advocacy group is concerned over the proposed Transit Windsor fare hike as the city starts budget deliberations Monday morning.
Activate Transit Windsor Essex (ATWE) is a grassroots advocacy group, describing themselves as working for a more accessible and sustainable transportation system in Windsor and Essex County.
The group recently took to social media to shine light on a number of issues that of concern to them in the proposed 2024 City of Windsor budget.
In a report tabled to city council on Nov. 29, 2023, Transit Windsor said the service is experiencing "unprecedented ridership pressures" and "often running as high as 130% of prepandemic levels."
2023 saw a significant increase in riders compared to pre-COVID ridership, resulting in the need for additional buses and added routes.
The proposed budget calls for a 15 per cent fare increase from $3.25 to $3.75 for adults, with Apr. 1 the targeted implementation date.
"It's pretty ridiculous if you ask me. So [if] the 15 per cent increase goes through, Transit Windsor riders will be paying more than the Toronto transit riders," said Nate Hope, a member of Activate Transit Windsor Essex who was speaking on AM800's Live and Local. "It's a pretty wild number. I know they say that it's to keep with inflation, that's wild number in my opinion."
Hope says when ATWE released their community mandate in 2021, the two main issues they heard feedback on the most were needed improvements in freqeuency and reliability.
"Even if you use the app, the problem is sometimes if the bus is too full, it's going to pass you. So it didn't matter that you knew the bus was coming and you were there on time. If it's too full, it's going past you. So there's a reliability issue and then also the frequency. Sometimes people are waiting for half an hour, 45 minutes to an hour."
"Instead of funding a new garage suitable for increasing and improving service, the city continues to dribble funding into non-essential improvements," read an Instagram post by ATWE.
Hope is says the City is sitting on the Transit Master Plan that was developed.
"We have to actually implement this plan and make it work. And that's following what it suggests. There's problems. We're really investing in the future when we're investing in transit. We're investing in the future of the city. We're investing in the future of people who are using transit to take transit to their job right?"
More information on ATWE can be found here: activatetransitwindsoressex.ca.
Deliberations for the 2024 budget begin Monday at 10:00 a.m.