Public transit needs more buses, longer hours
Belleville's transit system has a problem; its route times aren't accommodating the needs of its citizens. While it isn't uncommon to hear complaints about public transit in any city, in Belleville the complaints are frequent, and justified. Standing at the bus stop outside of Loyalist on any given day there are usually students commenting on the transit system. When the buses arrive at the terminal and people have to wait for connecting buses, there are complaints. When the bus schedule shifts to hourly intervals and people are forced to wait even longer, there are complaints. When the buses only come every hour on Saturdays, and don't even run on Sundays, there are complaints.
With so many people complaining, one has to wonder, when will the city make a change? When will the transit system reflect the needs of the citizens of Belleville? The city has a large number of citizens dependent on the transit system. With a large student population courtesy of Loyalist College, a sizeable senior population and working poor and unemployed, who can't afford to own their own cars, the transit system has become their primary mode of transportation.
Since so many people depend on public transit, buses should run later than 10 p.m. on weekdays, and certainly much later on weekends when people are more likely to be out late. But, if anyone counts on that, they are in for a big disappointment.
The basic schedule consists of eight bus routes that run past every stop in half-hour intervals until 7 p.m. when they switch to hourly intervals until 10 p.m. when the buses stop running. Saturday's schedule is similar, except all buses run hourly from the beginning of their route, usually at 6 a.m., until they end at 7 p.m. - three hours earlier than on weekdays. And on weekends, when nightlife sees a huge increase due to the popularity of entertainment venues, theoretically, so would the use of the transit system - if it were there. People who relax and have a few drinks and can't drive or don't want to walk home, can't get a bus either.
So, with an increased demand for public transit, the logical choice on the city's behalf would be to meet the needs of its citizens and extend transit hours. The popular opinion is that until the transit system hours are extended, specifically on weekends, to compensate for increased activity, and buses begin to run on Sundays, there will continue to be justified complaints.
In the city's defence, Belleville is at least trying to improve its transit system, and have even had help from higher up. The city was recently given $414,000 by the provincial government to better the infrastructure, and has also recently the promised to have each one of its buses fully accessible by the year 2012. The first step the city has taken to ensure that that goal is met is the purchase of two new buses, accessible to those with physical disabilities.
The provincial infrastructure funding will be spent on things like bus shelters, upgrading of the downtown bus terminal and new buses, like the two they just acquired. There are a large number of bus stops throughout Belleville that are without shelters and many patrons would surely enjoy a break from cold winter winds or rain in the summer. The downtown bus shelter needs upgrading both structurally and cosmetically and there are several buses still in service that are not only old and in need of repair, but completely incapable of servicing handicapped patrons. But that still doesn't improve route service.
The effort on both Belleville and the province's behalf is surely appreciated by commuters, as any improvements to the transit system are both necessary and welcome. But as of yet Belleville has not addressed the key problem, which is the limited route times. For those Belleville residents who rely on public transportation, the main issue isn't old buses or a lack of bus shelters, it is the lack of service when they need and want it.
When a person, especially someone who works at night relies on public transit to get to and from work, is required to stay later than the bus cutoff, it is extremely inconvenient. The routes don't serve students who may stay late at school and are forced to wait extended periods of time for pickup and transfer buses, or people who would simply rather not walk long distances should they be out past 7 or 10 p.m. The crux of the issue is that Belleville, while trying to upgrade its dated transit system, has yet to address the key issues leading to the dissatisfaction of its citizens.
Belleville city council members should be ready for a less than enthusiastic welcome when they announce any new plans to "improve" their transit system without adding buses to existing routes.
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