Ontario Northland says ridership has returned to pre-pandemic levels

Ontario Northland says ridership is almost back to pre-COVID levels with many of its routes filling up.

"Ridership levels are very much returning to what they were pre-pandemic level,” said Kate Bondett, of Ontario Northland.

“Times like Christmas we are extraordinarily busy and then we have other peak seasons throughout the year."

Bondett said travelling by bus in the north during the winter is different than during the warmer months, but said the ONR has many safety plans and techniques in place.

But with bad weather across the north this time of year, and lack of communication from ONR, some passengers are speaking out.

"We met with a transport and the bus really swayed,” said passenger Vincent Gauthier.

“We ended up touching the guard rail and hitting the snowbank ... Since it affected the wheel, he had to stop. We had to wait for a bus to come from North Bay. I was supposed to get home at 9 p.m. and I didn't get home until after 11."

Jordana Abitbol, another passenger, said communication hasn’t been great in her experiences.

"An email said check if your bus is still running, I called the night before to see but no one was there,” Abitbol said.

“It didn't really say if your bus was running or not. I kind of had to take a risk and go to the bus station to see."

Bondett said these sorts of issues are few and far between, adding that riders’ safety always comes first.

"Drivers are really well trained,” she said.

“If they can remedy the situation, or a mechanical error or something on the bus that maybe other passengers aren't aware of, they try and remedy it themselves. We do try and call for help, and in more serious cases we will send another coach to take passengers where they need to go. We try and make passengers safe and comfortable during that time."

She added that, multiple times a year, each bus is inspected to ensure everyone's safety at all times.