Starting Sunday, April 5, the St. Catharines Transit Commission is further decreasing service due to the COVID-19 pandemic until further notice.

The transit agency says, “The safety of our employees and passengers is extremely important to the St. Catharines Transit Commission.”

The SCTC is reducing Monday-to-Saturday service to provide essential-travel-only service on a once-an-hour schedule. Buses leave the Downtown Bus Terminal from 6:15 a.m. until 9:45 p.m.

And, it’s reducing Sunday service to provide essential-travel-only service on a once-an-hour schedule. Buses leave the Downtown Bus Terminal from 8:45 a.m. until 7:45 p.m.

Statutory-holiday schedules remain the same as usual.

You can view the schedules here (.pdf).

The transit agency has updated the St Catharines Transit APP to show the reduced schedules.

Also, the SCTC says it’s

• requiring passengers to board and exit through the rear doors;
• blocking seats to maintain physical distancing.
• restricting passenger loads aboard buses.
• restricting access to the Downtown Bus Terminal.

St. Catharines Transit is not reducing Paratransit service.

The Commission says that these areas have limited service due to the the fact that it’s temporarily cancelling regular Monday-to-Friday schedules:

• Hartzel Road between Rockwood Avenue and Queenston Street;
• Merritt Street between Thorold and Glendale Avenue;
• the Wembley Street area;
• Linwell Road between Niagara and Ontario Streets;
• Meadowvale Drive;
• St. Helena Street;
• the Facer Street community area.

If you are in these areas and can’t get to the closest bus stop, contact the Paratransit office at 905-685-4228 extension 201.

The SCTC first reduced service due to COVID-19 Monday, *March 16*.

By Friday, March 20, it had restricted boarding to the rear doors, blocked certain seats and restricted the number of passengers aboard buses. It also started offering free rides that day.