Windsor city council eliminates buses used exclusively by high school students to redeploy on similar routes

The City of Windsor is eliminating buses used to get high school students to class, and redeploying those buses to routes in the affected areas, in an effort to increase service for all riders. 

City council considered an amendment that would keep the school extras active, but it was defeated. 

This move will not take effect until September while the transit system plans for the change. 

Transit Windsor will take nine buses that are used exclusively by students at four high schools — Riverside, St. Joseph's, Vincent Massey and Holy Names — and use them to increase the frequency of buses on routes in the city. 

The redeployed buses will increase the pick-up frequencies on Routes 250, 240, 135, 315 and 115.

Both the Catholic and public school boards asked the city to defer the issue because they're concerned about the impact this will have on students. 

Students and parents wrote to council, saying they were worried it could lead to students missing class. 

That's because students will now take a crowded public transit system across the city, which could require them to transfer routes, instead of riding the exclusive school extras, which go directly from their neighbourhood to schools. 

These city buses are not paid for by the school boards. Roughly 650 students who use these buses each day pay a discounted fare.

The city said data shows many students would not experience any major difference in their commute time, but some would see major changes to their commute, including transferring to other buses.  

Some students in the Devonshire Heights and Reimington Park areas trying to get to Vincent Massey or Holy Names would see their 25-to-30 minute commute times double. 

There would be students at Riverside and St. Joseph's who would see their daily commute times increase by about 15 minutes with school extras eliminated. 

Economic development commissioner Jelena Payne said the city hasn't talked with the school boards about getting them to pay into the operating or capital costs.

The budget brings enhancements to the transit service without a tax levy increase because of the redeployment.

Enhancing the service without redeploying the buses would cost about $600,000 a year, but that doesn't include the one-time capital costs of the buses. Transit Windsor would need to buy new buses to put on these enhanced routes at about $8.1-million. 

City councillor Fred Francis said he's worried about eliminating the school extras because of traffic congestion at Vincent Massey and Holy Names and potential problems students might face waiting for their buses.

"We're still going to have hundreds of students waiting on those buses," said Francis, bringing up the deep freeze Windsor experienced last week. 

Francis pitched keeping the school extras active, but his amendment failed. 

Councillors Angelo Marignani, Kieran McKenzie and Gary Kaschak supported his amendment. 

"It's always a fight to see the transit master plan implemented," said councillor Fabio Costante, who pitched a similar idea to redeploy the school extras last year. 

He said redeploying the school extras in the affected areas would increase service for everyone and fits with the master plan. 

"We need to move in this direction," he told council.