Reader Denis Agar alerts me to moves Guelph Transit is making to reduce service during peak hours. As this article explains, Guelph Transit is under pressure recently as it extends its routes to cover the expanding city. Between this and increasing traffic congestion, drivers are finding it harder to maintain half-hour frequencies during rush hours, and more and more passengers are missing their connections.

Guelph Transit’s response has raised some eyebrows. In order to give drivers more time to keep to their schedules, more running time has been added to each route. To accommodate this extra running time, service frequencies during rush hour will be lengthened, effective September 2, from 30 minutes to 40 minutes. During midday and evening hours, service frequencies on these same routes would remain at 30 minutes. Clearly Guelph Transit cannot afford to invest in the extra buses required to cut the new 40 minute frequencies to 20 minutes.

Rider Denis Agar is not happy and is organizing a campaign to protest this move (you can view his campaign page on Facebook, here). He is upset by the more complicated scheduling and the likely overcrowding that will result from decreased frequencies. He is asking that the City of Guelph either invest the money required to provide 20 minute service during rush hour, or restructure the routes so that his city is served more efficiently, but at the same level of service.

If you would like to join Denis in his campaign, or wish him well, visit his page on Facebook and let him know what you think.