Photo credit: Facebook/HSR
After a one-year review of the Waterdown on-demand bussing pilot, Hamilton Street Railway (HSR) reintroduced a fixed route to the area on November 7. But the on-demand service, called myRide, will still operate alongside a new fixed route called Route 18 – Waterdown Mountaineer.
The new fixed route has connections with Aldershot GO and Burlington Transit and runs every 30 minutes. It travels along Dundas Street, Hamilton Street, and Parkside Drive. The on-demand zone, which previously covered all of Waterdown, is now restricted to the area on the escarpment.
The on-demand service was introduced by the city in September 2021 as a pilot project that was meant to transform all Waterdown bus coverage into a stop-to-stop service using dynamic routing.
On-demand pick-up is only used if a rider requests ahead of boarding that a bus stop there. The bus’s route is updated electronically to accommodate riders. The system is similar to a group Uber or taxi ride, only with a city bus.
The original on-demand service was able to provide access to 80 stops more than the fixed route system and to destinations that were not previously accessible via public transit.
It covered a 16 square-kilometre area and consisted of 151 possible stops.
As of November 7, only riders on the Waterdown escarpment can call 905-528-4200 to request pick-up or make the request through the HSR myRide app. The bus, taking into account all requested stops and drop-offs, then takes the most direct route.
Riders have to select from one of the existing stops, but the area served is greater than the original fixed route. Bus fare for the route is the standard rate. Customers are not allowed to walk up to or hail an on-demand bus.
While the 12-month review of the on-demand service was completed in the fall, the project was extended so that the city can do more analysis. The one difference is that a fixed route will now be in operation at the same time and that the area covered by on-demand service is now smaller.
Map of HSR myRide on-demand service area and new Waterdown Mountaineer fixed route. Photo credit: City of Hamilton
The city says that 1,793 riders used the myRide app and that 557 people accessed the service on a regular basis. With the new destinations, the HSR coverage area in Waterdown grew by 45 per cent.
However, the city found that the majority of users were seeking Aldershot and Burlington connections (along the new fixed route), which is why it was added.
While there were four busses being used for the myRide program, that will now be reduced to two. Two busses will now run along the new fixed route.
This new hybrid system is not necessarily permanent since HSR continues to evaluate which arrangement of service is the best fit for the area as well as whether or not the system would be a good option for other areas of the city.
City staff will be coming back to council in 2023 with final observations.
Based in Hamilton, he reaches hundreds of thousands of people monthly on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter. He has been published in The Hamilton Spectator, Stoney Creek News, and Bay Observer. He has also been a segment host with Cable 14 Hamilton. In 2017, he received the Chancellor Full Tuition Scholarship from the University of Ottawa (BA, 2022). He has also received the Governor General’s Academic Medal. He formerly worked in a non-partisan role on Parliament Hill in Ottawa.
