A local advocacy group is making a call for investment in the public transit system in Windsor-Essex.
Activate Transit Windsor Essex (ATWE) is releasing a community mandate informed by the results of the group’s 2021 Transit and Mobility Survey. The survey asked over 620 participants to share what their public transit experiences have been, and what they’d like to see in the region.
The mandate makes calls to action for policy makers, including investing in bus frequency, implementing the More Then Transit master plan, and recognizing transit as an essential service.
Co-Founder Jessica Bondy says public transit goes hand in hand with equity.
“In order to make the Windsor economy equitable for all, especially for those that need it the most, that need that upward mobility, we have to have a good transit system,” she said.
Bondy says Windsor’s car-centric attitudes have hurt public transit.
“It makes our leader ignorant in a way, because they think we’re a car town, we don’t have to worry about the bus. Automobility is not exclusive to good public transit systems. They don’t have to be two separate entities.”
The organization’s survey found a number of issues tied to lower public transit availability and quality.
ATWE’s survey results, and a full breakdown of their mandate can be found online.