A member of a local transit advocacy group is responding to the city report that showed an increase in ridership for Transit Windsor in 2024.
The report showed a 7 per cent increase in ridership this year compared to 2023, with total ridership as of September 30 at nearly 7.3-million, compared to just over 6.8-million in the same time frame last year.
Speaking on AM800's The Dan MacDonald Show, Nate Hope, a member of Activate Transit Windsor Essex, says he's happy to see the usage numbers increase, but wonders where the increase came from.
"Is it from people needing to take the bus of necessity, or affordability, or is it because they just think that it's a good way that I can save some money. That's not included in the assessment or not, so those things I think matter."
The report also stated Transit Windsor maintained an on-time performance of 78 per cent in 2024.
A figure that Hope questions.
"At Activate Transit, we actually did an [Freedom of Information request] for the bus routes on time, and when we look over the data we see that it's only around 50 per cent of the time, that it's on time. So I'm open to chat with them and hopefully I can see where they're getting this from."
He says he continues to ride Transit Windsor for a hope of a better transit service going forward.
"I think it's a much more affordable way to travel. When you look around at cities across the continent, at systems that are functioning on time, there is a reliability that comes with it."
Activate Transit Windsor Essex is a grassroots advocacy group working for a more accessible and sustainable transportation system in Windsor and Essex County.