Guelph applies for $10M in transit funding from province, feds

The city of Guelph has applied for $10.2 million in federal and provincial funding for five separate transit projects, including the replacement of 33 city buses.

The city hopes to get approval to replace 24 conventional Guelph Transit buses and nine mobility buses with the funding.

"It's an opportunity for us to replace ageing buses that we have now in our fleet," said Guelph city Deputy Chief Administrative Officer Colleen Clack.

She says the introduction of newer buses will extend bus life span and also keep down maintenance costs.

Guelph is eligible for up to $10.2 million for this infrastructure work through the federal government's Public Transit Infrastructure Fund. This funding is available to all municipalities based on ridership.

But that money only covers part of the project's $20.5 million price tag.

The remaining $10.3 million will be covered by the city. That portion will be funded as follows:

• $2.4 million from the tax supported capital reserve.
• $1.3 million from tax supported debt.
• $200 thousand from the development charges reserve.
• $6.4 million from the City's provincial gas tax funds.

But that money isn't just going to be spent on buses.

The funding will be spread over five projects which include:

• The replacement of 33 city buses.
• Fare box replacements on all buses.
• Bus stop upgrades to ensure multi-route stops have shelters and, where possible, all stops are accessible.
• The development of a long-term transportation plan for the city that includes public transit, as well as active and vehicular transportation.
• A new computerized traffic control system for the city.

The timeline

The City anticipates a decision will be made by the end of December, it said in a release.

"All of this has to be completed by a certain deadline, which is March 21, 2018," said Clack.

For that reason, a bulk of the work will be done in the coming year.

Once the funding comes through, the city plans to place the order for the new buses, and then begin the bus stop upgrades.