Guelph Transit tweaking some routes

Guelph Transit announced Thursday that it will be making adjustments to some of its routes in the new year.

Affected routes include: 3 Westmount, 41 Downtown-University Express, 11 Willow West/14 Grange, 16 Southgate, 40 Scottsdale Express, 51 U Janefield, 52 U Kortright, and 57 Ironwood/58 U Edinburgh.

“The adjustments are part of our ongoing effort to improve the service for riders as we work toward building a more efficient and effective transit system for Guelph,” says Mike Spicer, general manager of Guelph Transit.

READ MORE: City of Guelph, transit union reach tentative agreement

Guelph Transit realigned the routes on Sept. 3 in an attempt to increase the frequency of buses where there was a greater demand, but in the months since then, there have been several complaints, including many posted online.

Guelph Transit said their management has been analyzing data and reviewing feedback from the public and transit operators to help determine where system adjustments might be needed.

RELATED: Guelph transit receives mixed reaction following bus realignment

“We heard loud and clear from our riders that Route 16 was not working and so we are pleased to extend the route to provide more service and get people to and from their destinations,” said Spicer.

The following changes will take effect Jan. 7, 2018:

• Route 3 Westmount will operate Monday to Friday every 40 minutes. Based on low ridership numbers, the previous 20-minute service is not needed.
• Route 41 Downtown-University Express will operate Monday to Friday every 10 minutes from 7:35 a.m. to 10:55 a.m. and every 20 minutes from 2:15 p.m. to 4:55 p.m.
• Route 11 Willow West/14 Grange will operate Monday to Friday every 30 minutes until the 8:15 p.m. departure. Beginning at 8:50 p.m. service will be every 40 minutes until the end of the day.
• Route 16 Southgate will operate Monday to Friday every 30 minutes, providing service to Clair Road East, Hawkins Drive, Poppy Drive East, and Gordon Street. Two new stops, including an accessible stop, will be introduced. Another change will see no more layover on Clair Road. Riders who would like to limit their layover time are encouraged to get off at 1750 Gordon St. and transfer to the 99 Mainline Northbound.
• Route 40 Scottsdale Express will operate Monday to Friday between 2:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. The 6 p.m. departure will no longer be offered.
• Route 51 U Janefield will no longer stop at Stone Road Mall but will provide more coverage along Wilsonview Avenue (routes 50 U Stone and 51 U Janefield). The 6:50 a.m. and 7:20 a.m. departures will no longer be offered.
• The 6:50 a.m. departure on Route 52 U will no longer be offered Monday to Friday.
• A new morning departure at 7:20 a.m. from the University Centre will be offered on routes 57 U Ironwood/58 U Edinburgh. The 10:30 p.m. departure will no longer be offered Monday to Friday.