Grey County council has moved to reinstate the GTR Route 5 from Owen Sound to Wiarton, until a decision can be made on a Unified Regional Transit Network.
Staff recommended using the rest of the summer to conduct the Bruce-Dufferin-Grey-Wellington Regional Transit Study with Dillon Consulting and returning in the fall to present a draft plan.
Savanna Myers, Director of Economic Development, Tourism and Culture, said the difficulities with the study were the sheer scope, having to go through four county councils and find solutions for an area of about 12,000 square kilometres.
"We are 53 per cent larger than the GTHA: this is the biggest study of its kind in the province," she told council. "That complexity alone has really added to it because everybody has a little bit of a different need, so trying to understand where those base levels could be and those enhancements could be, so that we're not all on the hook for the same things, we're on the hook for what matters to us... that has been complex."
As the county staffs continue to work toward a final plan, Grey County will once again extend the current GOST service between Owen Sound and Guelph and GTR Route 2 between Dundalk and Orangeville.
The GTR Route 5 from Owen Sound to Wiarton will also be reinstated, with seasonal service to Sauble Beach starting next year if a decision on the transit network can't be reached by then.
The lines will be funded within the approved 2026 budget allocations and supported by Ontario Transit Investment Fund (OTIF).
Staff said they will seek to include budget allocations in the draft 2027 budget for consideration, but the financials they're working hardest on are farther down the line.
"Year 6 backwards is how we have been doing all of the financial crunching because we need to know when OTIF is no longer available, what does that look like on the budget?" said Myers. "Making sure that we can be comfortable bringing something forward to this table, and three other councils and a board, knowing that we are all in this together... The last thing we would want is to ask you for your approval and your endorsement of something and realize we asked you for the wrong thing."
Staff will also spend the summer seeking information regarding technology and operator interest and exploring the requirements and potential of a unified rideshare bylaw.
