210305 Transit Advisory Committee AgendaThe Corporation of the Town of Tillsonburg
Tillsonburg Transit Advisory Committee Meeting
March 3, 2021
10:00 a.m.
Electronic Meeting AGENDA
1.Call to Order
2.Adoption of Agenda
Proposed Resolution #1
Moved by:
Seconded by:
THAT the Agenda as prepared for the Tillsonburg Transit Advisory Committee
meeting of March 3, 2021, be adopted.
3.Disclosures of Pecuniary Interest and the General Nature Thereof
4.Minutes of Previous Meeting (Attached)
5.Presentations/Deputations
6.General Business and Reports
6.1. Staffing Update – Alex Piggott
6.2. T:GO 2020 Performance Summary Report (Attached)
•2020 Christmas Bus Ridership
•Advertising (on bus)
6.3. Bus stop changes
•Bus stop on Broadway Street approved
•Norfolk Mall bus stop relocation
•Outdoor signage at Town Centre Mall
6.4. 2021 budget considerations
6.5. Snow removal concerns
6.6. Funding opportunities
7.Next Meeting
8.Adjournment
Proposed Resolution #2
Moved by:
Seconded by:
THAT the March 3, 2021 Tillsonburg Transit Advisory Committee meeting be
adjourned at _____ a.m.
The Corporation of the Town of Tillsonburg
Tillsonburg Transit Advisory Committee Meeting
November 17, 2020
10:00 a.m.
Hybrid Meeting- Council Chambers, 200 Broadway, Suite 204 & Electronic Meeting MINUTES
Present: Sherry Hamilton, Lynn Temoin, Kathryn Leatherland, Councillor Luciani
Staff: Alex Piggott, Transit Coordinator; Laura Pickersgill, Legislative Services
Coordinator
Guest: Colleen Pepper, Marketing & Communications Officer
Regrets: Cindy Allen and Stephanie Ellens -Clark
1.Call to Order
The meeting was called to order 10:01 a.m.
2.Adoption of Agenda
Resolution #1
Moved by: Councillor Luciani
Seconded by: Kathryn Leatherland
THAT the Agenda as prepared for the Tillsonburg Transit Advisory Committee
meeting of November 17, 2020, be adopted.
Carried
3.Adoption of Previous Minutes
Resolution #2
Moved by: Lynn Temoin
Seconded by: Councillor Luciani
THAT the Minutes as prepared for the Tillsonburg Transit Advisory Committee
meeting of October 6, 2020, be adopted.
Carried
4.Disclosures of Pecuniary Interest and the General Nature Thereof
There were no disclosures of pecuniary interest declared.
5.General Business & Reports
6.1 Additional Stops on Route Report- Alex Piggott
Alex noted that these additional stops will not have an impact on the timing of the
route and that other stops will not be removed to accommodate these new stops. It
was suggested that these additional stops will allow users to not have to walk as far
to access the service.
It was noted that there is a mixed reference in the report to Tillson Street versus
Tillson Ave in the report.
6.2 Bus Decals Report- Alex Piggott
There had been previous concerns noted with visibility of the bus being transit
available to the general public. There is space on the bus to sell advertising space
to be able to cover the costs of bus decals. The Christmas bus decals coming out
shortly will increase the visibility of the bus. There was an issue with a decal
supplier due to the temporary closure of the supplier’s business.
6.3 Bus Stop 24, Simcoe and Tillson Report- Alex Piggott
Alex noted that bus stop 24 is in the process of being moved further east so that it
becomes a safer stop.
6.4 Bus Stop Performance & Ridership- Al ex Piggott
Alex provided an overview of statistics of current ridership. Staff are suggesting that
statistics continue to be monitored until there is more data available to make more
improvements to the bus stop performance and increase ridership.
It was noted that stop 19B is getting less use then with the previous provider. It was
suggested that if nobody is using this stop then it could save time from driving all of
the way out there. This item will be brought forward to a future agenda.
It was suggested that staff could reach out to the businesses to determine if there is
still a need to have this stop and determine if these businesses are working fully
(pre-COVID limits).
The Multi-Service Centre has also seen a decline in individuals working right now
due to the pandemic but hopefully employment levels will increase again once the
pandemic is resolved.
6.5 Bus Signs Report- Alex Piggott
Alex provided an example of a larger sign mock up and compared it to the size of
the existing, smaller bus sign. Alex noted the sheeting material of the signs has
improved on the mock up version as well that this will improve visibility of the signs.
It was noted that the largest signs are used in rural areas (higher speed areas) and
the smaller signs are used in urban areas.
It was suggested that the newer sign be used going forward when the signs are
replaced. It was suggested that the contact phone number be enlarged on the sign
for easier reading. It was suggested that removing “for assistance” would allow to
make the phone number and website larger print. It was noted that having this
information available on the signs will give riders contact information to review in the
case that a route is delayed due to weather reasons, for example.
6.6 T:GO Marketing & Communications Report- Alex Piggott & Colleen Pepper
Alex provided an overview of the marketing and communications plan for the transit
service. It was noted that messaging has been difficult right now as the public is
being encouraged to follow social distancing measures whereas this does not
typically match the messaging for transit services. Alex noted that messaging
attempts to drive individuals to the Town’s dedicated webpage for more information.
There is social media messaging, Google advertisements and a website included as
tools for marketing and communicating the service. It was suggested that it is
challenging to get the messaging to the people and then get them to actually use the
service following retrieval of the messaging.
C olleen noted it is important to determine who your audience is to target the
marketing towards. It is important to know who should be riding and why they
should be riding and why they are not using the service. Colleen suggested that
being more targeted with messaging is important. For example, if people are not
riding because of COVID then you should target messaging around what COVID
protocols are in safe. It was suggested that getting feedback from people as to what
is challenging could be important in improving the overall service to increase the
ridership. It is important to determine what reasons people are using the bus for
Alex noted that a customer service survey has been delayed but it would be
important to get the survey out soon to be able to take cons tructive criticism from the
results to tailor the service to make it more useful for residents. It was suggested
that greater promotion of the Christmas bus would be helpful. It was suggested that
a list of retailers selling tickets could be useful to people.
It was noted that transit information is provided in new homeowner packages from
the Town office as Welcome Wagon no longer operates locally. It was suggested
that the service could be advertised in the Tourism Oxford brochure at a minimal
cost if that is something the group is interested in.
C olleen Pepper left the meeting at 10:59 a.m.
6.7 Norfolk Mall Bus Stop Report- Alex Piggott
Alex noted that the Norfolk Mall Bus Stop is being moved under the vestibule at
Zehrs. Alex still needs to contact the property owner and store manager to get the
steps finalized.
It was asked if there was any consideration to having the bus stop on Broadway
near Sobeys moved under the vestibule of Sobeys umbrella. Alex noted this c ould
potentially be a possibility. It was noted that an agreement would need to be
developed for the bus to enter the private property and allow this to happen.
6.8 Potential Route Improvements Report- Alex Piggott
It was suggested that this issue has been partially addressed by using the new
service provider and getting more detailed statistics from there. It was noted that the
service provider could add an additional five minutes of service since the bus is
typically early every hour. Alex suggested that a stop be put in at the library so that
users could catch the bus riding south rather than riders having to get on and ride
the entire route for half an hour longer. Other members agreed with this suggestion.
It was suggested that an addition in the northeast quadrant be held off until more
data is available. Alex suggested that before any major changes are made it would
be good to put the new provider through the winter to determine if the service gets
too delayed or not with winter weather.
It was suggested that the route com e out from stop 5 and run up to the top end of
North Street and circle back to make the turn onto Fourth Street versus running the
route through Kara Lane. Beckett Boulevard could als o be us ed as a potential street
to make the circle back. This would allow for only one left hand turn. This s top could
encompass the northeast quadrant well. It was suggested that incorporation of the
trails be considered when developing a new stop. It was suggested that the parking
lot where the trail head is could be used but it would need to be maintained well in
the winter. A safety concern in relation to utilizing the parking lot turnaround was
disccused. The driver would have to avoid parked carks and pedestrian traffic
while turning around. Options for not having to turn south were reviewed as a
southbound turn is not preferrable. Alex will look into further options on this and
report back at a future meeting. 6.9 Ridership Statistics
Alex provided an overview of the ridership statistics.
6.10 Vacant Seat Update - Laura Pickersgill
Laura provided an overview of the vacant seat on the Committee. It was noted that
a recommendation will be going to Council in December to fill the vacant seat on the
Committee.
6.Round Table
7.Next Meeting
Resolution #3
Moved by: Lynn Temoin
Seconded by: Kathryn Leatherland
THAT the Tillsonburg Transit Advisory Committee amends their meeting
schedule to meet every other month on the third Tuesday of the month at
10:00 a.m. or more frequently as needed.
Carried
Tuesday, January 19, 2020 at 10:00 a.m.
8.Adjournment
Resolution #4
Moved by: Lynn Temoin
Seconded by: Councillor Luciani
THAT the November 17, 2020 Tillsonburg Transit Advisory Committee meeting be
adjourned at 11:41 a.m.
Carried
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Subject: T:GO 2020 Performance Summary
Report Number:
Author: Alex Piggott, Transit Coordinator
Meeting Type: Advisory Committee Meeting
Meeting Date: Wednesday, March 3, 2021
RECOMMENDATION
THAT the Committee receive this report as information.
BACKGROUND
In August of 2020, the Town launched the Inter Community Transit project to
compliment the Intown service. This report summarizes the ridership, bus pass sales
and bus stop usage for both the Intown and Inter Community Transit services .
DISCUSSION
Intown Service:
Ridership:
Since the start of the transit service in 2016, the annual ridership has seen a steady
increase reaching a peak of 10,735 boarding’s in 2019. 2020 started off strong with the
highest monthly ridership in January, however the overall annual ridership decreased by
36% to 6,869 boarding’s. The months of April and May were the lowest ridership of the
year. Ridership bounced back in June and has been at a consistent level for the
remainder of the year, averaging 25 boarding’s per day. Staff believe this drop in
ridership is related to the ongoing Covid 19 pandemic. Many transit agencies have
seen a similar decrease in ridership.
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Bus Stop Usage:
This data is new since the change of the service provider in July of 2020. The data is
useful for planning of route improvements; however, the 2020 data should not be
considered as typical ridership trends. A longer period of time and a more stable
ridership should be taken into consideration.
The highest bus stop boarding’s are at the following stops:
Stop 1 Town Centre Mall, -23%
Stop 6 Lisgar and VanNorman – 11%
Stop 8 Devonshire and Broadway – 7%
Stop 11 Southridge Public School – 17%
Stop 18 Baldwin and Trottier – 5%
The highest bus stop departures at the following stops:
Stop 1 Town Centre Mall – 9%
Stop 6, Lisgar and VanNorman – 8%
Stop 11 Southridge Public School – 8%
Stop 16 Station Arts Centre – 23%
Stop 21B Cedar and Spruce – 5%
The service provider has observed that many of riders depart the bus at Stop 16 to go
either to the Mall or the grocery store and then board the bus at Stop 1 for their return
trip.
Bus Pass Usage and Retail Sales:
40% of the transactions on the intown service are exact cash fares. 60% of
transactions are with prepaid tickets purchased at retailers throughout Tillsonburg. 50%
of the passes sold are Adult 10 ride punch passes, followed by Adult single ride passes
at 13%. Monthly pass sales are 7% for Adults and 6% for Seniors.
The majority of the bus passes are sold at Metro and Coward Pharmacy. These two
locations combined account for 58% of the bus passes sold. The Customer Service
centre is the third highest retail location with 13% of bus pass sales. In the latter half of
2020, more of the retail locations started to see regular customers and we hope to see
this trend continue. The sale of bus passes at the retail locations supports the local
economy by bringing customers into their establishments. Retailers are paid a nominal
commission on the sale of the bus passes and in 2020, $309 was paid in retail
commissions.
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Christmas Bus:
The Town extended the service to offer the Christmas bus on the four Saturdays
leading up to Christmas. This was done through a sponsorship with the service
provider and the BIA.
Ridership on this year’s Christmas was down from the previous year with 37 boarding’s.
Most of the boarding’s were on December 5th, just before the increase in the local cases
of Covid 19. The majority of the passengers that used the service, boarded the bus
between 8:00am and 5:00pm.
Although ridership was low this year, the BIA stated “The board was very happy and
impressed with the Holiday Bus Sponsorship and loved the bus wrap.” The use of the
bus wrap gave the BIA the unique opportunity to promote shopping in the downtown all
over Tillsonburg.
Inter Community Transit Service:
This service commenced August 4, 2020 operating with four routes.
Ridership:
Route 1 is averaging 4.65 boarding’s per day and continues to be busiest route. Since
the start of the service, 104 days of service has been provided.
Route 2 is averaging 1.57 boarding’s per day. 42 days of service has been provided.
Ridership on this route started off slow but is increasing steadily.
Route 3 is averaging 1.02 boarding’s per day. Same as Route 2, 42 days of service has
been provided. Ridership on this route started off strong in August and has declined as
winter approached. Despite the decline in ridership, the service provided has
mentioned that they are starting to see an increase in regular passengers using this
route.
Route 4 continues to be steady, averaging 4.33 boarding’s per day over the 40 days of
service.
Bus Stop Usage:
Route 1- The majority of the boarding’s are in Woodstock, with 39% from the three bus
stops in Woodstock. Tillsonburg is generating 34% of the boarding’s, followed by
Ingersoll with 9% and Norwich with 8%.
The departures show a similar trend with Woodstock at 43% of the departures, followed
by Tillsonburg with 27%, and Ingersoll with 18%.
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Route 2- The majority of the travel on Route 2 is between Tillsonburg and Courtland.
Downtown Delhi is generating 9% of the boarding’s and 12% of the departures.
Route 3 is performing as expected with the majority of travel between Tillsonburg and
Port Burwell.
Route 4 is performing as expected with the majority of travel between Tillsonburg and
Ingersoll through to London’s Victoria Hospital.
Bus Pass Usage and Retail Sales:
44% of the transactions on the Inter Community service are exact cash fares. 56% of
transactions are made with prepaid tickets purchased at retailers throughout the service
area. Single ride tickets are the majority of tickets being sold at 49% of sales followed
by day passes at 36%. 10 ride passes are 14% of the sales and Monthly passes are
2% of passes sold.
42% of the bus passes sold are at the Foodland in Woodstock. Coward Pharmacy and
Metro follow at 15% and 11% respectively of the passes sold. Market by the Falls in
Otterville generates 9% of the bus passes sold followed by Kings Variety in Ingersoll
with 6% of the passes sold. The sale of bus passes at the retail locations supports the
local economy by bringing customers into their establishments. Retailers are paid a
nominal commission on the sale of the bus passes and in 2020, $196.75 was paid in
retail commissions.
CONSULTATION
Staff consulted with the service provider to provide some comments on the ridership
usage and trends.
FINANCIAL IMPACT/FUNDING SOURCE
None.
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COMMUNITY STRATEGIC PLAN (CSP) LINKAGE
1. Excellence in Local Government
☒ Demonstrate strong leadership in Town initiatives
☐ Streamline communication and effectively collaborate within local government
☒ Demonstrate accountability
2. Economic Sustainability
☒ Support new and existing businesses and provide a variety of employment
opportunities
☐ Provide diverse retail services in the downtown core
☐ Provide appropriate education and training opportunities in line with Tillsonburg’s
economy
3. Demographic Balance
☒ Make Tillsonburg an attractive place to live for youth and young professionals
☒ Provide opportunities for families to thrive
☒ Support the aging population and an active senior citizenship
4. Culture and Community
☒ Promote Tillsonburg as a unique and welcoming community
☐ Provide a variety of leisure and cultural opportunities to suit all interests
☒ Improve mobility and promote environmentally sustainable living
ATTACHMENTS
T:GO Annual Ridership
2016 – 2020 Monthly Ridership
Payment Type by Month
Riders by Month
Ridership Distribution by the Hour
Intown Bus Stop Boarding’s
Intown Bus Stop Departures
2020 Intown Bus Pass Sales by Vendor
2020 Intown Bus Pass Tickets
2020 Christmas Bus Ridership per day
2020 Christmas Bus Ridership per hour
Route 1 Ridership
Route 1 Boarding’s
Route 1 Departures
Route 2 Ridership
Route 2 Boarding’s
Route 2 Departures
Route 3 Ridership
Route 3 Boarding’s
Route 3 Departures
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Route 4 Ridership
Route 4 Boarding’s
Route 4 Departures
Inter Community Pass Sales by Location
Inter Community Pass Sales by Type
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