Timmins Transit

Effective Monday, February 6, residents can pick up their transit bus passes and bus tickets at Service Timmins in City Hall. The move is to facilitate renovations at the Timmins Transit Terminal on Spruce St. S. Bus passes and tickets will be sold during regular Service Timmins hours from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday to Friday. Bus passes and tickets are also available at the Timmins Square Information Booth during mall hours. Timmins Transit appreciates your cooperation and patience while renovations are completed.

Timmins Transit is set to receive $233,039 from the provincial government as part of Ontario’s commitment to safe and reliable transit services. Phase 4 of the federal-provincial Safe Restart Agreement will provide a total of $505 million across the province for municipal transit systems. The funds can be used to offset costs related to COVID-19 in 2022, including revenue loss, operating expenses, and priority projects. Since the start of the pandemic, Timmins Transit has relied on provincial and federal grants to help cover operating costs. “Providing accessible public transportation is a priority for the City of Timmins,” says Mayor Michelle Boileau. “This Safe Restart Funding speaks directly to where we are in terms of restarting and rebuilding transit services post pandemic. I want to thank both the provincial and federal governments for their continued support of transit services in Timmins.” “We appreciate the provincial government’s support,” says Ken Krcel, Director of Public Works and Environmental Services. “This funding helps us continue to deliver safe and reliable public transportation. We anticipate that this funding will be used to cover any shortfall in revenue from 2022.”

On September 3, Timmins Transit will end its temporary summer service reduction and resume the modified schedule implemented during the pandemic. Route 16 (South Porcupine / Porcupine) and Routes 37 and 38 (Melrose / Riverside) will return to 30-minute frequency. Timmins Transit will continue to run a modified Saturday schedule Monday to Friday based on current ridership numbers. Ridership refers to the number of the people who use the bus. That number has not returned to pre-pandemic levels. What does this mean for operations? Before COVID, transit fares covered roughly 35% of operating costs (fuel, wages, maintenance, and administration). On an operational budget exceeding $5 million, the municipal tax base had to absorb 64% of the costs with just 1% coming from other revenues. Since COVID, transit fares have covered just 19% of operational costs with the tax base now covering 68%. The City has also had to rely on operational grants to cover 12% of transit operations, even though the cost to operate was reduced through service reduction. The totals provided are based on actuals from 2019 to 2021. Add to that on-going labour shortages that have made hiring drivers post-COVID challenging. At this time, a modified schedule works best to balance service, convenience, and cost. Timmins Transit tracks ridership numbers every month and can respond to an increase in demand if necessary. Management has also initiated a complete route analysis that will help to determine system efficiency. It’s the first step in evaluating how to increase ridership and find alternative modes of service delivery that better suit the needs of our community. Timmins Transit’s popular Northern College Express will also hit the road on September 6 to help students travel back and forth from the Transit Terminal on Spruce St. direct to the Northern College campus. This seasonal service is another example of how Timmins Transit works to actively address demand and improve service. The City of Timmins is currently hiring part-time bus drivers. The successful candidate will have an acceptable driving record and be capable of possessing a Class “BZ” or “CZ” Ontario’s Driver’s License. No transit experience is required, training is provided. Learn more at: https://bit.ly/3KcasjA. Track your bus online using https://tracker.timminstransit.ca or download the Timmins Transit app today from Google Play or App Store.

A lasting effect of the COVID-19 pandemic has been a driver shortage at Timmins Transit. In an effort to reduce driver fatigue and stress, City Council has approved a temporary frequency reduction effective Monday, June 13. The revised schedule will be in place over the summer months from June through August and will reduce frequency times of some routes from service every 30 minutes to every forty-five minutes. “Last summer, Management had to cancel summer vacation requests due to driver shortage,” says Director of Public Works and Environmental Services Ken Krcel. “Our drivers need time to rest and recharge. The immediate benefit is a reduction in lost time and employee turnover. This small change will prevent a greater loss of service that could happen if drivers end up burned out and calling in sick.” Reducing the frequency of service will reduce the total number of driving hours each day, allowing for time off without having to cancel routes altogether. The timing is also ideal since past data shows a decline in ridership during the summer months. “We need to give drivers their requested time off as per their collective agreement,” adds Krcel. “We are doing that with as little impact to transit riders as possible while providing adequate public transportation in the summer.” For more information on Timmins Transit schedule and updated routes, including those impacted by Connecting Link construction, visit Timmins.ca / Our Services / Timmins Transit.

Ontario has announced their annual Gas Tax funding and Timmins is on the list to receive $661,115. Investment through the Gas Tax program will be used by Timmins Transit for the purchase of a new bus. “We receive Gas Tax funding annually,” says Director of Finance Natalie Moore. “The purpose of the program can be to upgrade infrastructure and that’s our current priority for Timmins Transit. New equipment will boost service reliability and performance, which works towards our overall goal of delivering more reliable transit service.” Discussions around Timmins current public transit system came up during recent budget talks with a request for a transit rationalization process and route review being requested by council. Timmins Transit continues to deal with the affects of the pandemic and low ridership, but has once again frozen user fees to help offset changes to service. Transit will be looking to purchase the new bus by the end of the year.

Effective Saturday, April 17, 2021, Timmins Transit will be moving to a modified Sunday schedule for Saturday with the following changes: First Run from Transit Terminal  Time    901E to South Porcupine  6:30am  901W to Melrose  7:30am  7/6 Park Ave/Riverside  9:00am  902N  9:00am  902S  9:30am      Last Run from Transit Terminal  Time  901E to South Porcupine  7:30pm  901W to Melrose  6:30pm  7/6 Park Ave/Riverside  6:00pm  902N  6:00pm  902S  5:30pm Regular Sunday Service continues on Sunday and regular Saturday Service is still in effect on weekdays until further notice. For the safety of you and your fellow passengers, please wear a mask and maintain physical distance when riding with us. We appreciate everyone’s cooperation and understanding during this time.