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Niagara takes first step to one single transit-system after vote last night

Decision is called 'historic, progressive and corageous'
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Photo: Thorold News Archive

Niagara’s political leadership took the first step toward a region-wide transit system last night.

In a special council meeting, the culmination of ‘years of hard work,’ council approved the staff recommendation to merge all the region’s existing transit services into a single transit commission with centralized leadership.

The Moving Transit Forward proposal would bring together independently operating local transit systems in Fort Erie, St. Catharines, Welland, and Niagara Falls, as well as Niagara Region Transit and NRT OnDemand, in order to offer consistent operating hours and fares, new digital payment technology, and better connections for riders across Niagara.

Starting the week of Dec. 6, all of Niagara’s 12 local municipalities will also vote on the proposal. To move forward, a majority of those councils, representing a majority of Niagara's electors, must vote in favour of the plan.

Regional Chair Jim Bradley called the decision ‘historic, progressive and corageous.’

“Council’s vote is the culmination of thousands of hours of negotiation, consultation and debate across the region which aims to create a singular, enhanced transit service for all residents. I look forward to seeing the support of local councils across Niagara as we work together to modernize public transit and deliver results for our region,” said Bradley in a comment after the meeting concluded.

The proposal has received overwhelming support from a number of municipal leaders, including Thorold Mayor Terry Ugulini, who also sits in the regional council.

The meeting was jam-packed with community stakeholders, including heads of educational institutions, community support groups and other interest groups representing seniors, injured workers, and more.

Earlier this fall, a public online survey also collected feedback from over 2,200 residents across Niagara. That survey showed strong support for the proposal, with over 79 per cent of respondents approving of the governance structure, financial model and service standards strategy that make up the proposal.


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Ludvig Drevfjall

About the Author: Ludvig Drevfjall

Ludvig Drevfjall has been the editor of ThoroldToday since January 2020. He has worked as a journalist in Sweden, British Columbia and Ontario
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