‘We need to do better’: Region exploring snow clearing improvements at bus stops
Posted Aug 27, 2026 12:24:50 PM.
Last Updated Aug 27, 2026 12:24:02 PM.
The Region of Waterloo is looking to improve transit accessibility over the winter by exploring ways to keep bus stops clear for riders.
The recent harsh winters that brought significant snowfall to Waterloo Region have led to major challenges for Grand River Transit (GRT) users.
“We don’t want people climbing over snowbanks and we’ve got to do a better job,” said Doug Spooner, Director of Transit Services.
Spooner provided a mid-year status update to councillors earlier this month at a committee meeting.
He explained that GRT wanted to include bus stop snow clearing in maintenance agreements with local municipalities, but they found it wouldn’t be feasible.
“As you can imagine, they don’t have the equipment today to stand that up and so we are going to go back out to tender with a few quick changes,” Spooner said.
“So, you’ll remember we had adjusted the time for clearing from 72 hours down to 48 hours, we are going to ask that 24-hour clearing be priced into that as well so we can see what that impact will be for plan and budget,” continued Spooner. “But we’re also going to take a look at incentives for quick clearance, for priority clearance, and then some penalties if we are unable to get there.”
Councillor Matt Rodrigues shared disappointment that the city agreements couldn’t be updated and asked Spooner to explain what can be done to improve contrator performance.
“You’ll remember last year we actually had to flip a contractor, we weren’t getting the performance,” replied Spooner. “This is a piece we’re exploring now — how do we incent, hopefully through the use of carrots rather than sticks, good performance on this one. I can run a tremendous bus service and if I can’t get people to the stop and onto the bus, it won’t matter.”
Rodrigues then moved an amendment. “It’s really just asking staff to look at this penalty and incentive program through our contracts, both carrot and stick. I think we had a number of issues last year and we need to do better.”
At a regional council meeting this week, the motion to explore bus stop snow clearing improvements moved forward, including possible contract incentives or penalties to support reliable GRT service in the winter.
Regional staff will also review how to streamline reporting and resolution when bus stops haven’t been cleared.
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