ELORA – An initiative that started as a solution to parking problems in downtown Elora is now being heralded as the possible beginning of a public transit system in Centre Wellington.
The Elora and Fergus Downtown Shuttle Bus launched for the season on May 23, with local dignitaries and staff marking the occasion.
On hand in the parking lot at the GrandWay Events Centre were Steve Wright and staff from Wrighthaven Homes, who signed on as a sponsor this year.
It’s Wrighthaven’s sponsorship that will allow the bus to add Fridays to the schedule, in addition to Saturday, Sunday and holiday Monday services.
“I hope this will be the genesis of what will become a public transportation system,” Wright said.
The ceremony moved onto the bus when it started to rain and then participants got a short ride to the first two stops on the loop: MacDonald Square and the Elora Centre for the Arts/Bissell Park.
Mayor Shawn Watters said the township received a $50,000 grant for a transit service feasibility study under the Rural Transit Solutions Fund – Planning and Design Projects Stream.
The township will pay an additional $70,000 to cover the cost of the study, which will also include a strategy on how to offer public transit in the township.
Watters noted bus service in Markham, where he grew up, was pretty new when he was a kid.
Centre Wellington has about the same population now as Markham had when it started public transit.
It would be a point of pride for him to be able to provide public transit to residents and visitors, he said.
Steve Wright speaks to staff and dignitaries on the bus, which operates on weekends through the summer. Wrighthaven Homes is a new sponsor of the service and Wright said he hopes the shuttle is the beginning of a public transit system in Centre Wellington. Photo by Joanne Shuttleworth
“I think the timing is right for our community,” he said.
“I hope local people realize it’s there and start using it,” Wright added.
The bus runs from 11am to 5pm in a continuous loop.
It starts at the GrandWay and includes stops at MacDonald Square, Bissell Park/Elora Centre for the Arts, the Wellington County Museum and Archives, the Fergus Marketplace (downtown Fergus) and wraps up at the Centre Wellington Community Sportsplex.
Then it makes the same stops in reverse order back to the GrandWay.
The bus departs the GrandWay on the hour and the entire loop takes about an hour.
Visitors to Centre Wellington are encouraged to park at the GrandWay Events Centre or the Fergus sportsplex and take the free shuttle to the places they want to visit.
Local residents are also welcome to ride the bus for free and many have already taken advantage, Watters said.
For more information and to view a map, visit centrewellington.ca.
