10-27-2015, 01:56 PM
(10-27-2015, 12:56 PM)Markster Wrote:(10-27-2015, 11:38 AM)MidTowner Wrote: I'm probably off topic, too. I wonder what impact the iXpress and 7 (and other) detours have had on ridership. At least a few riders must have found other modes of travel.
I was expecting that ridership would take a large hit, thanks to all the detours. It's not just the 7 and 200. Everything downtown has been heavily disrupted.
I know that for me, it was enough to get me biking regularly to work ever since June started. I'd tried to bike regularly in previous summers, but the bus was just too easy. The detours, schedule padding, and early service reductions all pushed me away. I can't imagine anyone with remotely easy access to a car sticking around under the present circumstances.
I used to bike to work once or twice a week, but since iXpress no longer stops at GRH it increased my commute to 45 minutes from 25, whereas biking takes only 20. So I started biking 4-5 days a week and working from home more. I started biking to the Kitchener Market on most Saturdays, and stopped going downtown otherwise. I also used to regularly take the bus a few stops to Uptown Waterloo but now I just walk or bike. So I'm probably using GRT 80-90% less than this time last year. Unfortunately I'm locked in to my corporate pass at work so I'm still paying GRT $60+ a month for the handful of times I do take the bus.