Commuting between London and St. Thomas will soon be easier.
A new bus route between the two cities is slated to begin rolling on April 8. Operated by Middlesex County Connect, the inter-city service will make four round trips per day - two in the morning and one in the afternoon - Monday to Saturday.
"This will now open up [St. Thomas residents] to Fanshawe College to Western University to medical appointments and to jobs in London," said St. Thomas Mayor Joe Preston.
He announced the pilot project during Monday's council meeting.
"We're back thanks to the County of Middlesex and I really wanted to tout them. They really brought this to us. They knew we've been working very hard and long to get regional transit back in," said Preston.
He added the city's public transit system will now have to be adjusted to ensure people using the inter-city service are dropped off in time to catch those buses.
The route will include stops at the St. Thomas Transit Hub, the local industrial area, Valleyview Home, White Oaks Mall in London, and the FlightExec Centre in Dorchester.
"By expanding access to major employment centers and linking residential areas, essential services, and transit hubs previously not connected by existing routes, Middlesex County Connect aims to meet the diverse transportation needs of the region," said Anum Maqsood, Middlesex community transportation project manager. "This new route underscores our commitment to promoting connectivity and convenience, marking a significant milestone in our continuous efforts to improve regional connectivity and accessibility for our residents."
Middlesex County Connect, which launched in 2020, currently has two routes in service. One travels from Lucan, Ilderton, Arva, London, and back and the other goes from Woodstock, Ingersoll, Putnam, Dorchester, London, and back. The new St. Thomas-London route comes is in addition to those two routes, Maqsood confirmed.
"This route, along with the two existing Middlesex County Connect routes, is funded by the Government of Ontario's Community Transportation Grant Program. Provincial funding for Middlesex County Connect ends on March 31, 2025," said Maqsood.
The cost to take a one-way trip on any of the routes is $5. Children five and under accompanied by an adult, veterans, and support persons ride free of charge.