The second service of the Grey Transit Route (GTR) will begin operating between Owen Sound and The Town of the Blue Mountains on September 23. The service will offer several rides a day with multiple stops along Highway 26. The service runs Wednesday through Sunday. This aligns with the needs of workers in the hospitality and tourism industry.
“Transit is an important accelerator for our regional economic, social and environmental sustainability,” said Andrew Siegwart, President of the Blue Mountain Village Association. “This new route along Highway 26 connects Grey County communities, provides more access to important services such as health care and facilitates labour mobility and access to job opportunities across the County. As a stop along this important new route, Blue Mountain Village looks forward to helping to promote usage among residents, employees and visitors.”
Scheduled stops at the Owen Sound Hospital and Georgian College will also increase access healthcare and education in the city.
GTR will operate four routes in total starting this fall. Service on Highway 10 between Owen Sound and Orangeville began on September 14. On September 29, the route on Highway 6 between Owen Sound and Wiarton will begin, running three days a week on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Service along Grey Road 4 between Flesherton and Walkerton begins on October 5, running Mondays and Fridays.
Service along all routes will be free from September 14 to October 31, but seats need to be booked in advance. All schedule details can be found at grey.ca/gtr.
Grey County is working with Driverseat Owen Sound to provide 10 passenger vehicles for the GTR service. Driverseat staff have been operating safely throughout the pandemic with sanitizing procedures in place for the protection of staff and customers. For rider convenience, Driverseat vehicles will be equipped to handle electronic fare payment once fares begin on November 1.
Fares for GTR on the Highway 10 (Owen Sound to Orangeville), Highway 26 (Owen Sound to Town of the Blue Mountains) and Grey Road 4 (Flesherton to Walkerton) route are $5.00 for adults, $4.50 for seniors 55+ and students ages 6-17. Children under 5 years of age ride for free.
Fares for the GTR on Highway 6 (Owen Sound to Wiarton) route are $3.00 for adults, $2.50 for seniors 55+ and students ages -17. Children under 5 years of age ride for free.
As a COVID-19 precaution, riders are required to wear face coverings at all times.
“Once fully operational, the GTR will provide the 99,000+ residents of Grey County with a dependable, inexpensive transportation option for travelling with in the different communities in the area,” said Paul McQueen, Grey County Warden. “With connections to other transit lines, GTR not only offers affordable travel around our County, it offers a gateway to the greater Toronto area and beyond.”
Grey County has received $1,850,000 under the Ontario Community Transportation Program. Funding will support local and intercommunity transportation projects. This funding will also support transportation services to help area youth access the Launch Pad youth activity centre in Hanover.
source: media release, Grey County
