The drive to start a transit system between Windsor and Leamington is nearing the finish line.
Windsor City Council's Environment, Transportation and Public Safety Standing Committee has scheduled a vote on the regional transit proposal at its meeting next week. If it passes, it will go to the full council for final approval and a pilot project will begin this summer.
That news cheers Leamington Mayor Hilda MacDonald. She told BlackburnNewsWindsor.com that everything is already set with the municipality and she is eagerly anticipating Windsor's outcome.
"We're as a council very pleased that this has come to be," said MacDonald. "We've already approved it on our end and we are just waiting on confirmation from the new government to make sure that it was going through, so hopefully Windsor council will see it as a plus."
The Ontario Ministry of Transportation has earmarked $606,000 toward the transit system. MacDonald said Leamington is kicking in $125,000 and the remainder of the million-dollar price tag would be covered by user fares.
Once approval is official and the pilot project gets underway in July, MacDonald said residents will have several opportunities a day to use the system.
"It's going to be doing three runs a day starting early in the morning from Windsor to Leamington and back again," said MacDonald. "Then another run at noon and another run later in the evening. Also two runs on Saturday, morning and evening."
The system, operated by Transit Windsor, will make stops at St. Clair College in Windsor, as well as at the arenas and community centres in Essex, Kingsville and Leamington.
