Owen Sound will soon become the hub for public transportation coming in and out of Grey County. The City of Owen Sound and Grey County have received funding from the Provincial government’s Community Transportation Program to create two unique public transit services that will work together to connect our communities.
Guelph Owen Sound Transportation, ‘GOST’ a bus program operated by Voyago, will connect Owen Sound and Guelph with additional stops in Chatsworth, Williamsford, Durham, Mount Forest, Arthur, Fergus and Elora. This route will operate seven days a week, excluding only Christmas Day, with two roundtrips operating daily, beginning on April 1st. “The City is extremely pleased to be able to add the intercommunity transit link after many years of limited service. This route, in addition to the current Greyhound services, is a positive addition to Owen Sound and the residents of Grey-Bruce,” says Owen Sound Mayor Ian Boddy. “But with GOST providing an affordable transportation alternative, our residents can really thrive.”
The Grey Transit Route or ‘GTR’ connects Owen Sound with the rest of Grey County through three different fixed routes; Highway 10 to Orangeville, Highway 26 to Town of The Blue Mountains and Highway 6 to Wiarton. These routes will operate up to five days a week, depending on the line, with a minimum of two runs per day beginning in the spring of 2020. There will also be an additional specialized service to support youth attending LaunchPad programs in Hanover. “Access to affordable and reliable transportation is crucial to the economic and social wellbeing of rural communities,” said Grey County Warden Paul McQueen. “Once operational, Grey Transit Route will create new opportunities for commuters to affordably travel to work, appointments, services, and social activities. It will support youth, seniors and everyone in between.”
With the GTR and GOST operating in harmony, the 99,000 residents of Grey County can count on dependable, accessible, inexpensive transportation options for wherever they need to travel. And with connections in many major cities in Southwestern Ontario, these new lines offer a gateway for Grey County residents to go to the GTA and beyond by connecting to other transit lines.
Stephanie Stewart, Manager of Community Transportation with Grey County, is hopeful that the GTR and GOST programs will receive enough support to become a mainstay in our area. “Public support for Grey Transit Route has been phenomenal, “said Stewart. “We’re overwhelmed with the level of participation in our survey and the many positive and informative comments we received. This information will help us make the right decisions as we finalize details for the routes and explore ways of adding more value to the service.”
source: media release
