Kingston Transit
Since implementing the Kingston Transit Redevelopment Plan in 2011, Kingston Transit has added three express routes to their schedule. The most recent addition began at the beginning of this month with a new express route that serves passengers traveling to and from the east end. Kingston Transit describes the new express buses:
Express route buses offer faster service between areas of the city because they make fewer stops. There is no extra charge for this premium service and riders can transfer between the express and regular routes at any point where the routes connect.
According to their website, the addition of the 501/502 route from the west end to downtown in 2013 has increased ridership by 12%. It has also been suggested that express bus routes, or more buses in general, have had a strong impact on lessening traffic around town during peak hours. In addition to the new buses, the City has improved, expanded on, and added several Park & Ride locations throughout town and has installed bike racks on all of their vehicles to accommodate their popular Rack and Roll program.
Now in year four of the redevelopment plan, we’re wondering:
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We want to know how you voted and why. Are you a Kingston Transit customer? Has this always been the case or has the addition of express bus routes, more Park & Ride locations and the Rack and Roll program convinced you to ride more often? If not, why not? As a driver, do you feel that traffic has lightened up at all since the addition of express buses? Transit is such an important part of a thriving city, we want to know how you think Kingston is doing in this area. Do you have high praise for the changes being made or are you more focused on what still needs to improve? Drop your comments off below.
Express service has got me using the Kingston Transit at least 2-3 times a week. The combination with the Rack and Roll also allows me to more confidently ride into work knowing that if the weather changes I can always take the bus home. My only complaint is the way in which the new express routes to the EAst and North end don't line up with the original 501 and 502 routes from the West end at the Downtown transfer point. Many times I can walk from downtown to my place of employment – RMC – quicker than waiting for the next express bus to arrive.
The new 601 and 602 express routes and the route 12 give you 6 options each hour to go to Rmc. A couple days a week I take the route 1 and then transfer to go to gore rd area. Way better than it was before. No problem waiting just a few minutes for a transfer.
Previously, I did not utilize Kingston Transit often. However, with the introduction of the Express Routes, I decided to give it a chance. The routes are clear, quick, and simple. A large impediment or barrier to public transit for most people is the waiting time. If a route is on 1 hour service, the scheduled stops often do not match well with the riders schedule. The new 15-30 minute service means that there is much less of an opportunity cost to riding the bus. Time is valuable, and the cost of people's time can easily be more than $20 per hour. By reducing the amount of time wasted waiting and traveling, Kingston Transit has significantly reduced the total cost of riding the bus. At the new cost, it is often cheaper than driving downtown from the west-end, especially if you consider that you can read, answer e-mails, and do work while on the bus.