A pilot commuter service from Northumberland County to the Oshawa GO transit station will end in early August, officials announced Wednesday.
County council voted to end the Commuter Connect project on Aug. 2, ending the pilot project that began in September 2022.
Commuter Connect included the Durham Line route, which was originally extended in December 2023 with passenger pickups in Cobourg and Port Hope.
However, at the same time, county council chose to end the Northumberland Line route, which connected residents between the villages of Campbellford, Brighton, Colborne and town of Cobourg, citing low ridership interest and costs.
The Durham Line pilot — in partnership with Metrolinx — was extended to determine if a reduced service would be financially sustainable. An extension of funding until 2026 was initially approved, pending a service review in June 2024.
But the county says the review determined that continued low ridership and a high cost to subsidize the service meant the Durham Line was “no longer sustainable.”
“I know for the loyal riders who depend on this shuttle bus service this will be disappointing news,” county warden Brian Ostrander said. “Northumberland County launched this program as a pilot to assess the interest and demand for a regional transit service, and to evaluate the costs involved in delivering it. Unfortunately, due to low ridership numbers and the cost to subsidize the rider service, we have determined that the operation will not be sustainable beyond the pilot phase.”
The pilot was launched to determined if a full-time transit network would be feasible. The county says the pilot did offer insights that could help a future potential transportation program.
“We appreciate the support and feedback from all our riders during this pilot project,” states Dan Borowec, the county’s director of strategic initiatives. “Ridership participation has been invaluable in understanding local transportation needs, and we will continue to investigate alternative transportation options in Northumberland County for residents, workers, and employers.”
The project included partnership with Hop In Technologies, a transportation logistics provider, to help co-ordinate the pilot, scheduling the weekday bus service and operating the online portal for ticket purchases. Hop In also co-ordinated bus service delivery with Community Care Northumberland to deliver services in the county and to take passengers to and from Oshawa GO.
“The logistical support provided by Hop In Technologies enabled us to deliver a schedule with multiple stops each day to meet the transportation needs of commuters,” Borowec said. “We are grateful for the exceptional customer service and rider experience delivered by Community Care Northumberland and Eastern Charters. Their on-time, friendly, and reliable service delivery helped get our riders safely to where they needed to go every day.”
Riders impacted by the end of the Commuter Connect pilot program can redeem any unused rider credits for a full refund by visiting commuterconnect.ca. Any unused rider credits will be automatically refunded after Aug. 2.