North Bay Transit making changes in anticipation of increased ridership
With thousands of Canadore College and Nipissing University students coming into North Bay in the next few days, and more people in the community returning to work, North Bay Transit is making some changes to the way city buses will operate.
Effective Sept. 7, earlier start times will be implemented for the 1a College/University, 3 Ski Club/Pinewood, 4 Junction, 6 Hornell-CFB, and 7 Birchaven routes.
A new 1c McKeown Corridor route will also be introduced and fixed route service will be extended to 7 p.m. Additionally, Dynamic Dispatch service hours will be adjusted and passenger limits will be increased to 40 persons per bus.
“The City of North Bay has remained committed to maintaining public transit as an essential service throughout the pandemic, adapting to public health restrictions and fluctuations in ridership,” said City Coun. Chris Mayne, who serves as the chair of council’s infrastructure and operations committee.
“Moving forward, we will continue to respond to the needs of the community.”
The new 1c McKeown Corridor route will increase frequency on McKeown Avenue and provide connections to the 1a College/University, 3 Ski Club/Pinewood and 6 Hornell-CFB routes at Shirreff and Algonquin avenues.
"We're really happy, as it will allow students to get to and from classes a lot easier, as well as get to the local businesses on McKeown," said Nipissing University Student Union president Joe McIntosh.
It will also include service to the North Bay Regional Health Centre by request, for drop off only. The 1c route will operate Monday to Friday from 7:19 a.m. to 10:49 a.m. and from 3:06 p.m. to 6:05 p.m. It will operate during a trial period and will utilize the intersection of Algonquin and Shirreff avenues as a decentralized hub.
This route will not travel to the downtown transit terminal, but will link at this hub with buses that do travel to the terminal and/or service other areas of the city.
Dynamic Dispatch hours will be adjusted to begin at 7 p.m. and end at 10:59 p.m. Monday through Friday. On Saturdays, end times will be extended to 10 p.m., while operations on Sunday will remain unchanged with Dynamic Dispatch offered all day.
All city buses are equipped with a barrier separating operators and passengers and face coverings are required on buses in accordance with public health directives.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.