The bus service only runs on weekdays so far. Photo Credit: Southern Ontario Transit/Facebook.
A new privately-run bus company called Southern Ontario Transit (SOT) recently launched service between Haldimand County and the City of Hamilton.
SOT runs three round trips per day between Dunville and Hamilton from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
The bus service only runs on weekdays so far.
Starting at Queen Street and Maple Street in Dunnville, the bus stops at Dunnville’s hospital, and Dunnville Secondary School before travelling to Cayuga via Haldimand Road 17.
In Cayuga, the bus stops at the County Office before travelling to Hagersville via Haldimand Road 20, stopping at Hagersville’s hospital and Highway 6 at 4th Line to give access to Six Nations.
From there the bus stops in Caledonia at the Medical Plex on Argyle Street and Celtic Drive, the Caledonia Library, the Service Ontario on Caithness Street, and Gateway Church.
SOT then travels to the City of Hamilton with an on request stop at Hamilton International Airport (YHM) and scheduled stops at the Upper James Amazon Facility (YHM1), and Walmart on Upper James.
The route finishes off at the Downtown Hamilton Bus Terminal across from Jackson Square after stopping at Mohawk College’s Fennell Campus, St. Joseph’s Hospital Charlton Campus, and the Hamilton GO Station.
After that, SOT follows the same route back to Dunnville.
A one-way trip takes approximately one hour and 55 minutes, according to the schedule.
SOT currently charges $10.00 cash or $11.00 for electronic payment. A monthly pass can be purchased for $200 by emailing accounts@SOTransit.ca.
All riders must have the exact fare ready.
Finally, a $2,000 annual pass is coming in September 2025.
Riders can catch the bus by being at an approved pick-up location no less than five minutes prior to posted times.
Times are posted at www.SOTransit.ca.
Trips to Hamilton from Dunnville are at 7 a.m., 11 a.m., and 3 a.m.
Meanwhile, trips to Dunnville from Hamilton are at 9:05 a.m., 1:05 p.m., and 5:05 p.m.
Riders are reportedly responsible for “waving to the SOT bus driver to signal their need to be picked up.”
The service only just began on Sept. 16, 2024, as a pilot program, with SOT using a van for transportation.
The company says that “as ridership and revenues increase, accessible vehicles will be used on the service if the demand and support is sufficient.”
SOT’s website states that they created their company due to the fact that “millions of Canadians do not have access to a car for a variety of reasons” and because most of Ontario is not accessible by public transit.
They say they aim to “bring transit services to rural Ontario communities where driving is still the only option.”
“Southern Ontario Transit aims to move past political conflict and inconsistent investment by seeking private funds and collaborative approaches with existing providers,” their website concludes.
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