Frequency, Frequency, Frequency: Oakville Transit Heard You!

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When Oakville Transit did a study of what existing, occasional and potential riders were looking for the overwhelming response was increased “Frequency". Oakville Transit management heard your request loud and clear. On September 4, 2016, you’ll see increased frequency across the routes, and a few routes have been removed, but alternatives have been put in place.

The plan includes an average wait time of 7.5 minutes between buses during rush hour to a maximum of 15 minutes, if you arrive just as the bus leaves. Rush hour according to Oakville Transit occurs from 6:00 to 9:00 AM and 3:30 to 7:30 PM during the week.

If you are using Oakville Transit to access GO Transit, buses will now connect to the Clarkson GO as well as the Appleby GO Stations. These changes will provide better connectivity to Mississauga and Burlington Transit. Another access point to Mississauga Transit will be the addition of a stop at Vega and Laird Drive in Mississauga. Currently, Mississauga Transit has 9 different routes connecting at that location.

Oakville Transit Map outlines all the routes that will be available as of September 4, 2016.

Also something to consider is that Oakville bus schedules are anchored to various arrivals and departures of GO Trains. For example route 11 is anchored by Clarkson GO Train schedules, because the majority of riders using route 11 use the Clarkson GO Station. This is true for every route that is connected to a GO Station.

The new Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital will be easier to access from Oakville and Bronte GO Stations. From Oakville GO Station you just use route 5 for a one seat ride, and from Bronte GO Station use route 3 for a one seat ride. Route 5 also runs along Dundas to the shops in Burlington, which provides another access point for Burlington Transit.

Route 2 which ran along Lakeshore has been canceled; however, in order to ensure South East Oakville is still well connected Route 11 will provide all day service, and route 14 will comfortably get you to Bronte.

The detail that went into this plan is readily apparent. As an example, planners noted that students who attend Holy Trinity Catholic Secondary School in River Oaks, but live in Falgarwood, were not taking transit, because they needed to change buses. The transfer added as much as 20 minutes to their ride. So to solve the problem, route 19 now takes students from Falgarwood to Holy Trinity Catholic Secondary School 20 minutes quicker. These kinds of changes have happened across the system.

Finally, you don’t have to wonder when the next bus will arrive if you go to Oakville Transit’s Bus Finder. Once uploaded, it will tell you where your bus is in real time.

Are the changes perfect? No. There will be riders who will be negatively affected, but the belief is that the new routes will benefit the most people. An additional $1,000,000 has been added to Oakville Transit's budget to make these changes a reality.

So the next time your teenager is looking for a ride, or you need to get somewhere remember Oakville Transit just became a lot more convenient. These changes are part of a five year plan to improve Oakville Transit, and to make Oakville more liveable.