An intercity bus service linking Sarnia, Strathroy, and London is sticking around.
Last year, the province extended funding into 2025 for the Inter-Community Bus program. The service, launched three years ago, offers three round trips daily during the week and two weekend round trips.
In an email to Sarnia News Today, Strathroy-Caradoc Development Commissioner Heather Lalonde said the transit line has made a substantial impact.
"Individuals who did not have transportation to travel from community to community for a variety of reasons now have access to employment, education, health services and personal enjoyment that they would not have if the transit line did not exist," said Lalonde.
The service, provided by Voyago, has received $1.45 million in funding since launching August 4, 2020. Each bus can hold around two-dozen passengers.
Lalonde said the most recent stats show that almost 700 riders access the service on a monthly basis. She also said it's helping grow the community.
"Smaller communities have seen their population change through people moving to smaller communities from large urban centres and they do not often have their own vehicle," she said. "This service is a game changer for communities to attract new residents."
Lalonde said the service continues to become more well-known to the general population, and is becoming an everyday routine for those who use it.
"Ridership numbers indicate the need for the service to continue," she said. "The intercommunity transit line is one of the better performing routes in Southwestern Ontario."
Lalonde added that continued funding support is needed to provide the service to residents.
"There are lots of way to improve the service by adding additional route times, technology, etc., but at the moment, sustainability is the key issue," she said.
For more details on the service, click here.
