BARRIE, ONT. -- There is a new way to get around Barrie as the city launches the test run of an on-demand bus service Monday.
If you are within the pilot zone, you can use an app to order a ride.
The service doesn't offer door-to-door drop-off, but allows riders to move between existing bus stops outside a set schedule.
The service runs parallel to Barrie Transit's existing Route 11, reaching as far north as the Allandale Recreation Cente and south to Saunders Rd.
The city hopes the service will make taking the bus a viable option for more people in areas that may be under-served by transit.
"We strive to get our bus stops within 500 metres of anybody's residence. So there are issues…whether it's infrastructure or demand needs where, it doesn't always make it possible," says Brent Forsyth, Director of Transit and Parking Strategy for Barrie. "This service may allow us to do that."
A ride booked through the app costs the same as catching a bus on a regular route. You can use multi-ride and monthly passes and transfers onto the service too.
Forsyth will share preliminary data on the pilot with city councillors in the fall. There could changes to the program or expansion based on that data and the will of council.
For more on Barrie Transit on-demand, click here.
