Huron Shores Area Transit recently released findings from a series of user polls they conducted with their ridership.
Susan Mills, the Transit Coordinator for the service, says people in the region are using Huron Shores Area Transit for a variety of reasons, and she adds they were surprised to find that roughly 80 percent of their riders are reliant on the service to get around.
"I'm not sure that the percentage would be that high. What that tells us really is that public transit is so essential. It's essential that public transit remain operational in this area, to help our citizens get around and get to places they're going," Mills noted.
The poll revealed that 28 percent of respondents use Huron Shores Area Transit to get to work. Riders are also using the service to shop, visit family and get to medical appointments, but local students are also using it to get to school, either in Sarnia or London, though Mills adds those students are also travelling for work.
"They are students, they're attending college, but we're hearing that there aren't enough jobs for everybody in Sarnia and London this summer, which is a bit of a surprise. So students are actually accessing public transit to travel a little bit outside of the city to get to their summer jobs," Mills shared.
Huron Shores Area Transit offers service to Bluewater, Kettle & Stony Point First Nation, Lambton Shores, North Middlesex, and South Huron, including stops in London, Sarnia, Grand Bend and Goderich, among others.
The poll results will be pivotal in determining the future of the service, as the pilot project ends on March 31 of 2025. The project is currently funded by the province's Community Transportation Grant Program.
Mills says that it's pretty clear that their service is well used and is needed for so many people for many different reasons.
"When you start looking at the percentages of people who are travelling simply for social or leisure reasons, visiting family, attending medical appointments or shopping, it really highlights how crucial it is that we have this option for local citizens," concluded Mills.
For more information about routes, schedules, fares and Smart Cards offered by Huron Shores Area Transit, visit HuronShoresAreaTransit.ca. To speak with a live operator about times and schedules, call 1-888-465-0783 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. daily.