Huron Shores Area Transit (HSAT) will be able to keep running thanks to a significant funding boost from the province.
On Thursday, June 19 it was announced Ontario will be committing to $969,231 to support the rural transit service over the next five years.
The funding commitment will allow HSAT to continue its service across a number of communities and connect rural communities to regional centres.
Lambton Shores Mayor Doug Cook said the municipality worked well with Minister of Rural Affairs Lisa Thompson and Lambton-Kent-Middlesex MPP Steve Pinsonneault.
"That's a great total that we needed and we're very happy that the province came through on this on their end," said Cook. "We know the proposal that we gave them was very, very good and working with the other partners definitely put us over the top."
The future of HSAT was up in the air when funding under the Ontario Community Transit Grant Program ended in late March.
Since then, Lambton Shores, Municipality of Bluewater, Municipality of South Huron, Town of the Plympton-Wyoming, and Kettle and Stony Point First Nation have provided funding to allow for the transit service to continue.
Lambton Shores provided $50,000 in temporary funding until the end of May while discussions were underway about other funding measures.
Mayor Doug Cook explained what happens now to the funding provided by the other municipalities.
"Even though there was other funding available through the other municipalities that's still required to keep the system in place," he said.
This was a part of a long-term funding model which this funding boost now completes.
The municipality said a critical part of the funding model included a provincial grant from the province's new Ontario Transit Investment Fund.
It also complements new financial contributions from local communities.
Last month, route changes were also announced for HSAT.
Route 4 between Grand Bend and Strathroy was discontinued as of May 31 but new stops and additional buses were added to meet the growing demand.
A new stop will be added in Plympton-Wyoming on Route 1.
Cook said adding this stop was a bonus for the municipality.
"Another partner is what we're looking for to get into the system. We also know that Lambton County just started a feasibility study for rural transit, so they maybe adding on to our transit coming in the future," he said.
Additionally, a new stop in Bluewater will be added on Route 2.
HSAT launched in December 2020 and has provided reliable, affordable transit connecting people to a number of services.
In 2024, the service recorded more than 25,000 trips.