Huron Shores Area Transit (HSAT) is increasing service along its Grand Bend to Goderich route this summer, in hopes of proving its long term viability.
The Bluewater Route 3 will expand its summer hours to evenings and weekends starting this Friday, June 28.
The route makes stops in St. Joseph, Zurich, Hensall and Bayfield. Previously, it operated only on Monday, Wednesday and Friday afternoons, with two return trips scheduled between noon and 5:30 p.m.
Now, it will add an evening bus that departs Grand Bend at 8 p.m., arriving in Goderich at 9:12 p.m. and returning to Grand Bend for 10:30 p.m. HSAT will also run the bus on Saturdays and Sundays throughout the summer as well.
The company said that Route 3s ridership numbers have been low, raising concerns about its continuation beyond the pilot project in 2025.
"Our work with Parkhill and Ailsa Craig residents in 2023 led us to question whether the Route 3 schedule was too limiting or the right model," said Susan Mills, Transit Coordinator. "Instead of reducing Route 3, we decided to expand the hours of operation and schedule them around summer weekends. Bayfield and Goderich host numerous summer events, and we're optimistic these events and the chance to stay longer will encourage residents to try HSAT."
You can find the new route schedule online.
For more info, visit HuronShoresAreaTransit.ca or call 1-888-465-0783 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. daily.