Ridership will be key for new shoppers' bus

Posted Feb 16, 2012 By John Curry

EMC News - Ridership is going to be the key with regards to the long term future of the new weekly OC Transpo shoppers' bus service that starts in Richmond, passes through Stittsville and travels to Kanata Centrum, Bayshore Shopping Centre, Lincoln Fields Shopping Centre and Carlingwood Shopping Centre.

The service, which began in January, is now attracting about ten riders per trip which occurs on Mondays. It is believed that 15 riders is the number needed to sustain the service beyond its trial period. Right now there is no fare. Yes, that's right. It's free to ride the service and will remain this way at least until the end of this coming June. It's a great deal.

Ginger Chapleau of Richmond, who has been a regular on the service since it began, uses it to travel in to the Carlingwood Shopping Centre where she browses a lot and enjoys a break from her regular daily routine. She finds Carlingwood is an attractive destination as it is an enclosed mall and there are numerous areas where a person can sit down and pass the time.

However, she feels that the new service has not been sufficiently advertized to attract riders. In this she is on the same page as the Richmond Village Association (RVA) whose president Don Flanders has contacted OC Transpo on that point.

The RVA believes that having the shoppers' bus is a good idea as it allows Richmond and rural residents a way to travel into Ottawa for shopping or other purposes. However, the RVA also believes that good idea or not, it will not succeed if people do not know about the service through its promotion by OC Transpo.

This free shoppers' bus, known as Route 201, operates every Monday except holidays, starting its route in Richmond at 8:56 a.m. and arriving at the Carlingwood Shopping Centre at 10 a.m. after stops at Kanata Centrum, Bayshore Shopping Centre, Lincoln Fields Shopping Centre and Carlingwood Shopping Centre.

In Richmond itself, the bus travels a route that includes McBean Street, Ottawa Street, King Street, Royal York Street, Strachan Street, Fowler Street, Fortune Street, Perth Street and Huntley Road before heading to Stittsville where it goes along both Stittsville Main Street and Hazeldean Road where it will also pick up passengers.

The bus leaves the Carlingwood Shopping Centre at 2:30 p.m. for arrival back in Richmond at 3:32 p.m.

Buses on this route are fully accessible ones with no stairs for easy boarding and space for two wheelchairs.

There will be a slight route change made in the route for this shoppers' bus service in Richmond starting in April thanks to the suggestion of city of Ottawa Rideau/Goulbourn ward councillor Scott Moffatt. Instead of turning left from Perth Street and heading up Huntley Road towards Stittsville, the bus will continue east on Perth Street and then turn up into the King's Grant subdivision before using Queenston Drive to return to Huntley Road and then head to Stittsville. This route change will allow the bus to serve the King's Grant subdivision more directly while also bringing the service closer to residents who live in the area south of Perth Street and east of McBean Street.

More information about this new free shoppers' bus service from Richmond and Stittsville into Ottawa's major west end shopping centres is available by phoning OC Transpo information at 613-741-4390 or checking the OC Transpo website at www.octranspo.com.