Bradford residents could soon see local buses function almost like taxis.
Based on a report from deputy chief administrative officer Mahesh Ramdeo, council has endorsed a shift away from fixed routes and toward an on-demand transit system with a pilot project set to begin in 2025.
Under the proposed pilot, riders would be able to book a ride via phone call, website or application to use the fully accessible door-to-door service from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Monday to Saturday.
It’s also set to include one bus on a fixed route from the Bradford GO Transit station to Bond Head, while also servicing the employment lands.
“It’s a great opportunity for us,” Mayor James Leduc said.
The change would improve service quality, reduce wait times, provide specialized transit, and replace the Shuttle-to-Go service — all while being more cost efficient, according to Ramdeo.
That impressed Ward 3 Coun. Ben Verkaik.
“The benefits to people who are elderly or have accessibility problems is great, because they can get picked up at their door,” he said.
While he acknowledged the pilot could come with some hiccups, Verkaik said he expected it to go better than on-demand roll-outs in other municipalities like Barrie, since Bradford is expecting to retain one provider for all services.
While the contract to provide the pilot is expected to be sole-sourced, Ramdeo explained after the meeting that it was too early to name the provider.
Despite saying he’s a “huge fan” of on-demand transit and calling it “a life saver” for those with accessibility issues, Ward 4 Coun. Joseph Giordano took issue with being the first municipality to help the provider create a “proof of concept,” and said in return the town should be receiving a five- to 10-year discount.
“It’s an unproven company and concept,” he said. “I’m a little bit concerned.”
Ramdeo later explained reduced rates to the town could be part of the contract negotiations, but fares are expected to remain at the current $1 for easyPASS users.
Even without reductions, he reported the pilot can be done within a budget similar to the approved 2024 transit budget, and would provide enough coverage for the town to delay about $2.2 million in additional costs, including the roughly $1.38 million recently differed from the 2025 capital budget, as well as a proposed $461,000 for specialized transit, according to the report.
Ward 2 Coun. Jonathan Scott said he was “really intrigued” by a potential “game changer,” but also suggested the town should keep its current transit system “mothballed” in case it needs to be redeployed quickly.
The current BWG Transit service operates on three set routes from about 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday to Friday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays; however, at the recommendation of the strategic initiatives committee, council adopted the town’s new transit plan on Sept. 3.
In addition to six fixed routes and Sunday service, that new plan includes an on-demand service covering the employment lands, the rural area, less-serviced parts of the urban area and specialized accessible services.
While the plan anticipated rolling out on-demand service in 2026, Ramdeo notes that the current contract with the town’s transit operator is set to expire on May 31, 2025, offering an opportunity to incorporate the service as early as April 1.
If the pilot is successful, staff expect to issue a request for proposals in the third quarter of 2025 for a multi-year operator of on-demand transit.
After the meeting, Ramdeo clarified that for now, the goal of the pilot is to bring on-demand transit sooner while testing options to improve service, and any potential to replace the routes in the transit plan would need to be part of a future discussion with council.
