Regional councillor speaks to issue of overcrowding on GRT buses

Local transit users are being met with increased wait times and overcrowding as GRT ridership sees a sharp increase.

The region made an announcement on Sept 14 stating the GRT had set a new record for ridership with 150,000 people boarding transit services each day.

In that same announcement the region also said it expects a high level of ridership to remain throughout the fall.

Appearing on The Mike Farwell Show on CityNews 570, Regional Councillor Colleen James said the region’s population growth is major factor – and the council needs to find ways to meet the increased demand.

“This is an example of what happens when we have population growth and increased demand on a service. Now were looking at how we address this need and that means putting all the buses we can on the road to meet these demands.”

James said the rising demand for transit isn’t necessarily a bad thing as it shows a large portion of the public is choosing to use public transit services rather than alternative means.

However, she believes the region does need to be looking at ways to reduce wait times and overcrowding.

“We are a service based region and the demand is there, so we need to meet the demand. This is something that will definitely being coming up across the table in terms of budget and transportation needs. I think it will continue to come up, [at regional council] and it should.”

She added, for her personally public transit is a top priority and, when budget talks come up again she firmly believes that examining the current state of local transit will be top of mind for regional council.