The Transit Windsor Advisory Committee will be asking Windsor City Council to declare Transit Windsor an essential service amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ward 4 Councillor Chris Holt made the motion Tuesday morning, which was passed unanimously by the committee.
"This is something that I feel council should address and should enter into this discussion about what it would look like to recognize Transit Windsor as an essential service," says Holt who believes making the service essential would help to regain public's confidence in the system.
"We have some damage to try to fix because of that decision that was made," Holt says. "The idea that transit service, that mobility is something that can be arbitrarily withdrawn, has been criticized by some as too severe of a move."
It comes after Transit Windsor was shut down for a month based on an order by Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens.
The service resumed at the beginning of May with an enhanced Sunday level service.
If it were declared an essential service, Transit would have to continue operating at some level, regardless of the situation.
Windsor was the only municipality in the country that shut down transit during COVID-19.
Mayor Drew Dilkens says he declared the order to keep riders safe with the requirement to keep 6 ft. of physical distance.