Pembroke, Ont. gives green light to test on-demand public transit system
CTV
The City of Pembroke has given approval to start looking into an innovative public transit model.
The City of Pembroke has given approval to start looking into an innovative public transit model.
Unlike traditional bus service with set routes and stops, this new service would work on-demand, similar to ride sharing services.
"You use an app, like an Uber app based on GPS, or you call the toll free number using your iPhone, your Android or your laptop and you tell them where you are. And they'll pick you up at that spot," said Pembroke's Deputy Mayor Brian Abdallah in an interview with CTV News.
"And if someone is along the way, and they're before you, they'll pick you up also, so it's actually a quicker system."
The proposal is for a three-year pilot project, which would see two buses taking part in the project on city streets. The transit service pilot will exclude the existing Pembroke and Laurentian Valley Handi-Bus service, which will continue to operate normally.
Abdallah says the system is based off of a model currently being used in North Grenville, Ont.
An on-demand transit pilot project is also being conducted in the Blackburn Hamlet neighbourhood of Ottawa, where riders can request a bus anytime between the hours of 9 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. on Sundays and select holidays.
