Advocacy group hopes Bus or Bust campaign starts a conversation on transit use

Activate Transit Windsor-Essex is holding a campaign in the hopes of encouraging more people to use public transit in the city. 

"We just want more eyes, more people experiencing Transit Windsor. So hopefully we can use all of our voices to find ways to improve it in the future," said Bee Zelda, community manager with the transit advocacy group.

To participate in the campaign, people can upload a photo on social media with the #BusOrBust.

 "We want folks to take a bus and ride somewhere you wouldn't normally go," said Zelda. 

"This is a chance for everybody to explore Transit Windsor and to explore Windsor as well."

Zelda said one of the things they are hoping to achieve through the campaign is awareness around transit and Windsor.

"Ultimately, we just want people to talk about public transit. We want them to know that it's truly an option. You don't have to rely on a car," Zelda added. 

Zelda said Activate Transit Windsor-Essex has done surveys in the past of transit riders and they received about 400 responses, all mostly wanting more frequency added to routes and extended hours. 

"Windsor is a car city, that's what we're known for. But that doesn't mean that everybody can afford a car, has a car and can continue to pay to maintain the car. So transit truly needs to be a human right. It needs to be available for everybody. And that has been our biggest push," Zelda said.

One person Zelda hopes to see participate is Mayor Drew Dilkens.

"That would be excellent because that's the kind of engagement we need from our leaders," Zelda said.

Ridership on pace to double this year: Transit Windsor 

According to Tyson Cragg, executive director of Transit Windsor, ridership has grown dramatically.

"This year ridership has rebounded spectacularly compared to, the depths of the the pandemic a few years back. We're currently running at about 120 per cent of pre pandemic ridership and we're on pace this year to top a little over 9 million rides which will be our best year ever," he said.

In 2022, Cragg said Windsor Transit topped just over 5 million rides. 

"I think the influx of students, increasing enrolments of the college and the university that is definitely helped," said Cragg. 

The initiative will be running from Monday to Saturday, Aug. 19. The winner, selected randomly, will be receiving a free bus pass for one full week of travel with Transit Windsor. The announcement will be made on Monday, Aug. 21.