Oakville Transit conducted a comprehensive Transit Services Review in 2015. This review included an assessment of the performance of every route in terms of ridership, revenue, hours of operation and cost.
As a result, six routes were identified as poor performers and were cancelled effective September 4, 2016. In response to transit users seeking a more direct route to the new hospital, a one seat ride will be available from the Oakville GO station via Route 5.
Although routes 2 and 25 have been cancelled, route 11 has been rescheduled and reconfigured to minimize the impact. Its hours of operation have been extended and it will now operate between the Oakville GO Station and the Clarkson GO Station.
In Clearview, routes 2 and 21 have been replaced by a new route 12 which will provide all day service to and from the Clarkson GO Station. This route will also provide all day service to the Winston Park Area and connect with Mississauga Transit north of Dundas at Laird and Ridgeway. To ensure that students in Clearview can continue use Oakville Transit to travel to Oakville Trafalgar High School, a new School Special has been added.
Route 2 was first introduced as a cross town route in 2009. Unfortunately, after seven years of operation it never drew the ridership that was envisioned. Route 2 was identified as the single most expensive route to operate with an annual net cost of $1.2 million while carrying only an average of 7.6 passengers per hour. The funds associated with the cancelled routes are being re-invested in service improvements throughout the town including increased frequency of service on high demand routes, route extensions and increased hours of operation.
Overall these changes will result in improved travel by transit as most routes will have more frequent service. In addition, connections with GO Transit, Mississauga Transit and Burlington Transit will be significantly improved.