Event transit to Detroit could return by spring: Transit Windsor

Transit Windsor's executive director hopes public transportation to events across the border will return, just in time for the Detroit Tigers season.

During an interview on Windsor Morning, Transit Windsor executive director Tyson Cragg hinted at a possible return of tunnel bus services for special events.

"We're working on a technology solution right now for ticketing and payment for special event service, which you know, we think is going to make the whole process a lot smoother and a lot more enjoyable for our passengers," Cragg said. "So we've got our IT folks at the city working on that solution right now and I hope to have something to announce on that very soon as well."

While tunnel bus service resumed in the fall following a pandemic hiatus, service for special events remains suspended and Transit Windsor discouraged people from using the regular service to get to events like sports games and concerts.

Cragg hopes something will be in place just in time for the Tigers to open their MLB season, which begins in April. Detroits home opener is April 6 against the Boston Red Sox.

The conversation sprang from an update on the state of intercity transit in Windsor.

LISTEN | Peter Duck gives a debrief on bus service in Windsor-Essex:

While the tunnel bus returned three months ago, pre-pandemic transit had been slow to return to normal. 

In 2018, Greyhound shut down all of its routes in Western Canada, but kept going in Ontario until the pandemic, where it paused its operations in 2020. In 2021 it announced it was going to permanently shut down servicing Canada with the exception of a couple of routes that connect Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver.

"When Greyhound left, it left a hole in the market and there is a demand for intercity travel that connects midsize and smaller communities and travel for more budget conscious travelers," said Matti Siemiatycki, professor in the geography and planning department at the University of Toronto.

"So what you've seen is a number of new entrants and some of the companies that were already in the market trying to play a larger role and find their place. This is a market that's in flux and you're starting to see some of these new companies and new business models as they try to find how to make this both sustainable and profitable sector to be in."

What's available now

Windsor went almost two years without intercity transit. In August 2021, FlixBus came in to try to get some of the bus business.

There's one route a day, and it goes from Windsor to Toronto and has a stop in London. That costs $40. The Flix Bus depot is at 181 Goyeau St.

Trailways is looking to start up in April. It will be a Detroit-to-Toronto route, with stops in Windsor, Chatham and London. No fares or schedules are available yet.

"We're always interested in partnering with other providers that could provide that service," Cragg said. "So we're open to anything, and you know, we have had some discussions with some of these intercity carriers and I don't have any news to announce right now, but I think you know as we've kind of emerged from the pandemic and people have gotten back to traveling the the market has opened back up for that. So we're certainly interested in you know and entertaining discussions with other providers."

As for transportation to Detroit, the Regional Transit Authority for Southeast Michigan has received funding to start a pilot project for an express shuttle from downtown Detroit to Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport.