This election could change the future of transit in the City of Peterborough. It is important that the future of transit be explored as there are multiple perspectives from people running for Council. Arthur reached out to candidates for Council in the upcoming City of Peterborough election, excluding Mayoral candidates. In addition, Arthur reviewed available records which are on Twitter of bus cancellations.

As far back as 2013, there were complaints about a lack of citizen engagement in route design as reported in the Examiner articles “Petition started to save Major Bennett Industrial Park bus route” and “Peterborough Region Nicholls Park bus route restored after complaints.”

The state of Peterborough’s transit has been one of the main topics of conversation since July 2021 when changes to the bus system were made. An article in Arthur entitled “A Climate Emergency with a Side of Medium Transit” from September 2021 provides some of the background and reasons for the changes. The article suggested that there was a growing demand for destinations outside the downtown area and that buses did not meet industry standards for speed.

Since 2019, changes have been made that aim to improve transit, but opinions differ on whether they have been effective. These include integration with Google Maps and on-demand bus service as well as more frequent service however some of these improvements are dependent on technology that some Councillors and riders say not everyone has access to. When people have access to technology there may be limits on data usage and batteries sometimes run out.

On Twitter, it is clear that bus cancellations have happened almost daily in the first 15 days of September. When chatting on the phone with Peterborough Transit Manager, Laurie Stratton it became clear that historic year-to-year records on bus cancellations were not available. There are plans to keep this data going forward. One of the reasons that the routes were changed from a hub system to a grid system was due to overcrowding at the bus terminal as reported in the committee report.

For the first 15 days of September buses going to the terminal had a variance of 429.96 and buses not going to the terminal had a variance of 52.55 when looking at cancelled buses. In terms of raw numbers, there were an estimated 272 buses cancelled on routes going to the terminal and 145 cancelled buses on routes not going to the terminal. In September 2019 buses were leaving the terminal late causing between 5 to 20-minute delays system-wide. With 40-minute service on most routes at the time, this led to poor performance on the bus system. It is clear that there are delays not recorded on Twitter and a review of tweets that the hub transit system of 2019 had issues. With more frequent buses what may have been recorded as a delay might be recorded as a cancelled bus therefore, it is difficult to compare 2019 and 2022 bus cancellations.

In a previous Arthur article “TCSA Meeting Deals with Upcoming By-Elections and Transit Issues” TCSA President Zoe Litow-Daye outlined that she is aware that the workers of Peterborough Transit are currently on a work-to-rule campaign. Litow-Daye chose not to comment on concerns about transit routes for this piece. Currently, there is a survey not supported by the city due to mainly soliciting negative feedback from transit users. Bus drivers were warned not to distribute information on the survey as it is in violation of the city’s Code of Conduct.

Laurie Stratton talked about there being a global shortage of workers which impacts all sectors and gave an example of a local news station that couldn’t do its broadcast. When asked if covid-19 played a role Stratton said that workers are impacted for a day or two by covid-19. The main issue is that people are retiring earlier and not as many people are returning to apply for jobs. Arthur looked at the job posting for new bus drivers called Extra Board Operator and saw that new bus drivers are not guaranteed hours which may be problematic for workers looking for housing. According to the Housing is Fundamental Report, in 2020 someone would need to work 37.5 hours at $22.65/ hour in order to afford a two-bedroom apartment. This amount has increased as a result of inflation. The wage for someone being trained is $21.28/ hour. This is within the expected salary for bus drivers. In order to address some of the problems at transit addressing housing will be important. When I talked with an unnamed bus driver it was clear that it takes at least 2 months to train new drivers.

Arthur asked each Candidate running for Council excluding those running for Mayor a series of questions. We have included answers from all those who responded.

Responses have been edited for length and clarity.

Gary Baldwin: If re-elected, I am committed to working with the Mayor and new council to look at ways to improve our public transportation system.

Kevin Duguay: If elected Duguay will support an immediate and effective review based on listening to concerns and riding the bus. Duguay anticipated route changes and that shelters will be put to intended uses some are being misused. He wrote that transit is an important service that should be supported by land use policies and it is important for the city to respond to current and future demands. Duguay talked about a bus route changing routes while not blaming drivers as “they are having to contend with a program approved by Council during COVID times, that did not allow for meaningful community nor bus driver input/consultation”

Carlotta James: I will focus on increasing the density and availability of local services which will shorten the distances to destinations and make it easier to use a variety of transportation options. I will also advocate for creating transportation that is more sustainable such as additional bike lanes that weave throughout the city. I used to ride the bus but I find it very inefficient now.

Charmaine Magumbe: Magumbe shared several concerns about the grid system including bus stops being moved and the reliance on technology as some people, especially seniors, might not have access to the necessary technology or social media. Magumbe would revert the system to the hub system and mentioned a petition to change routes back to the hub system from the grid system adding that Peterborough is not large enough to have an effective grid system.

Andrew MacGregor: Currently, we are experiencing the problem that routes are so often changed or cancelled that people who rely on routine cannot reasonably expect a bus to arrive when they expected it to arrive. Personally, I can walk to work 3.5km away from my home faster than a bus can take me; at a 45-minute walk, this is a significant signal of systemic failure, especially when you factor in the assumptions that routes are not cancelled and that a bus arrives on time (and time is not spent waiting 40 minutes for the next one). Riders have been saying they need consistency. Whatever route finally lands, it needs to last for a long time. We can’t be in the business of changing it as the wind blows. Whatever routes are final need to depend on rider and driver input.

Shauna Kingston: I believe that fast, efficient, and reliable public transit is essential for our community’s well-being and for reducing the city’s emissions. Social and environmental justice are intertwined crises and public transit is a strong case in point. We need people to choose public transit, but don’t invest the resources needed to make it efficient enough to be a viable alternative. Infrequent routes can add hours to the days of people who need to make multiple trips throughout the city. Our ability to choose public transit is not equal and until we account for how social factors interact with transit use, we will not be able to make the needed shift away from car use. Months of escalating bus cancellations have compounded these issues. People are counting on scheduled routes to take them to work, to school, and to participate in their community.

Joy Lachica: One of my motivations for running for City Council is to fervently take on the Climate Emergency and enable us to achieve 2050 net-zero emissions targets and preserve the planet for our children. To do this, Peterborough needs a public transit system that provides a reliable, attractive, and affordable alternative to car travel. I believe that a strong public transit system is essential for supporting equitable mobility for residents of all ages and for supporting our local economy by connecting students and teachers to their schools, employees to their workplaces, and residents to shops and entertainment.

Dave Haake: I would like to talk with the users and the bus drivers themselves to see if we can improve the timing and the frequency of the service. My understanding right now is that it is in a deficit position of around $7 million a year. I wonder what would happen if the frequency was every 20 mins vs once an hour, I would like to see what that does to the ridership. I do not ride the bus as I am a realtor and travel extensively around the county. As I say I prefer to hear directly from the users and drivers.