New bus service connects Haldimand and Hamilton
The Southern Ontario Transit route runs from Dunnville to downtown Hamilton, with stops in Cayuga, Hagersville and Caledonia.
https://www.thespec.com/business/new...amilton-region
Imagine taking a bus from Dunnville to a medical appointment in downtown Hamilton. Or from Caledonia to lunch at Hewitt’s Dairy Bar in Hagersville.
A new transportation service is making weekday travel between Haldimand and Hamilton more accessible.
Rae Rivard, president and CEO of Southern Ontario Transit (SOT), said the company has launched a bus service between Dunnville and Hamilton, with three round trips between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Complete schedules are available online at sotransit.ca.
From Dunnville, the bus travels along Highway 3 and Haldimand Road 17 to Cayuga, providing access to Haldimand County municipal offices, a courthouse, high school, businesses and homes. After that, the route travels to Hagersville via Haldimand Road 20, reaching key destinations like Hagersville Secondary School and West Haldimand General Hospital. Next, the route follows Highway 6 to Caledonia.
Continuing northbound, riders can access Hamilton International Airport in Mount Hope. The end of the line is near Main and MacNab streets, where commuters can board an HSR bus to continue their journey through Hamilton.
A return trip takes riders back to Haldimand. Hamilton residents can also use the service to explore the Grand River or visit one of the county’s quaint downtown commercial districts.
Rivard admits uptake has been slow. On Sept. 16, when the service was launched, no one boarded the bus, but some prospective customers picked up a schedule or inquired about the route. On its best day over the past three weeks, the service had 10 riders.
“The good thing is the trajectory is always picking up,” said Rivard. “We have at least seven regulars, but they don’t all ride the bus at the same time.”
So far, the most popular route has been from Caledonia’s Empire Avalon subdivision, on the north side of town, to Hamilton. But Rivard said SOT is committed to serving Haldimand County in its entirety.
“We connect to everything,” he said. “People love that. Now it’s one seat from Haldimand to connect to any seat in Hamilton.”
Last week, SOT welcomed its first inter-county riders who used the service to travel from Dunnville to Caledonia.
Rivard said service schedules are ideal for Haldimand residents working nine-to-five jobs in Hamilton looking to avoid parking fees and winter driving. It also facilitates access to post-secondary education, medical appointments, employment and recreation.
The one-way fare is $10.
“We are getting a diversity of riders from all sorts of occupations and needs,” he said.
Beginning his day around 5 a.m., Rivard is SOT’s sole driver. While he has high hopes for the service, he admits it needs more riders to remain viable in the long term.
Twenty daily riders would cover the company’s fuel and insurance costs, for example. And 40 daily riders would make the service financially viable while opening the potential for longer service hours and a larger, wheelchair-accessible bus.
Until ridership increases, Rivard said, he and his wife, Manisha, are covering operating shortfalls out of their own pockets.
“It really is a heck of a struggle. It’s a real financial burden,” said Rivard.
While he welcomes sponsorship opportunities, Rivard said SOT won’t price out his patrons by raising fares.
“There’s a lot of good people. They benefit immensely from this. We’re not going to raise the price for them.”
Haldimand County currently lacks municipally funded public transit.
In an emailed statement, county spokesperson Kyra Hayes noted SOT is a private entity not affiliated with Haldimand County.
“However, Haldimand wishes the business great success,” said Hayes. “It is too early to anticipate outcomes as the business is so new, but there is hope that SOT’s service will provide a new means for residents to travel within Haldimand and beyond … From a tourism perspective, the service may provide opportunities for non-residents to access Haldimand’s many attractions, both natural and economic.”
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