Starting Monday, Barrie Transit will launch a new application that will allow riders to request a trip on demand for one route in the city — from Huronia and Lockhart roads to Bayview Drive and Little Avenue.
“Transit On Demand is different from conventional transit as it has no schedule or fixed route,” Brent Forsyth, Barrie’s transit and parking strategy director, said in a statement.
“The yearlong pilot will be assessed based on rider satisfaction and system reliability to determine if the program will continue or be expanded.”
Barrie officials say bus schedules are optimized in real-time based on rider trip requests through the free mobile application.
To use the app, riders select the start and end locations of their trip, as well as a departure time based on availability. The app notifies riders when their bus will arrive and how long it will take until they reach their destination.
Officials say trips can be booked up to seven days in advance, with no limits on the number of bookings per day.
“Transit On Demand fares will be the same as conventional Barrie Transit bus routes and riders can transfer between the two service types just as they would between two fixed routes,” officials add.
“Transit On Demand and Route #11 will run in parallel at the start to ensure riders are able to adjust to the pilot transit service model.”
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