Belleville Transit unveils date for new route system

Loyalist College students will have a new bus system to get used to next month.

The City of Belleville initially postponed the changes, so students at Loyalist could finish out the Winter semester.

 

The following statement has been released by the City this week, about the new move.

Effective May 6, Belleville Transit will be implementing a new route system as part of their plan to improve service over the next five years and beyond.

With the city continuing to grow and the demand for service increasing, the City of Belleville contracted HDR to conduct a comprehensive public transportation study in 2023 to find ways to make transit more efficient for riders. City staff and HDR worked closely together to identify inefficiencies in the system such as overlapping routes, hours of operation, frequency and capacity of service, as well as factors such as community growth and development in the city.

The study also involved a number of public engagement opportunities including a survey, pop-up events at the downtown terminal and Loyalist
College, stakeholder meetings, and consultations with transit staff to gain input on the existing transit system, how the service worked for them and ways they felt it could be improved. 130 businesses across the city also provided input to the consultation regarding employee needs and commuting patterns.

Using this feedback and extensive research, eight new routes were developed that would result in increased service times and improved delivery. The recommendations were approved by Belleville City Council on Aug. 28, 2023 and plans to implement the new system began immediately. With logistics now finalized, these new routes will be put into effect starting Monday, May 6.

Residents are encouraged to begin familiarizing themselves with the routes which can be found online at: Belleville.ca/NewTransitRoutes. A printed brochure with the changes will also be available in the coming weeks and starting May 6, the Transit app and online Trip Planner will be updated with the new routes for easy trip planning.

“The City of Belleville recognizes the importance of an efficient and functioning transit system to best serve its residents,” said Chair of the Transit Advisory Committee Councillor Kathryn Brown. “We feel this plan and new route system captures the concerns we heard throughout our engagement process while ensuring reliable and sustainable service for years to come. On behalf of the committee, I would like to thank all of the residents and stakeholders who took time to provide their feedback throughout this project, and the project team for their great work implementing these findings.”

For more information regarding the City of Belleville Transit Operational Review project, please contact Transit by email at transitreview@belleville.ca. For assistance planning your new route, visit our new Routes and Schedules webpage or call customer service at 613-962-1925.