By Galen Simmons, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Users of Perth County’s PC Connect rural-route bus service have until the end of this month to share their feedback on the local transit service to help county council determine its future.
As the transit service’s provincial funding is scheduled to end at the end of next March, Perth County council is set to determine how, if at all, PC Connect will be funded going forward during the county’s upcoming 2025 budget deliberations. To help councillors understand the human impact and importance of this transit service locally, the county has launched an online survey at www.perthcounty.ca/RuralRouteSurvey.
“The main objective of the survey is to really find out about the impact of the rural-route service,” said Justin Dias, economic development officer with the county. “We want to inform county council in their decision making.
“So, through that we’re asking a variety of questions of folks about why they use the service or what they use the service for – whether it’s themselves or employees, their clients or members depending on who’s answering – whether it’s for access to employment, medical appointments, education and training, social and community connection, grocery shopping, etc. Really, the analysis in the report from the consultant is designed to help council understand the impact of the service on the community as a whole.”
PC Connect’s rural route is the public-transit service for Perth County, offering safe, affordable and accessible transportation to rural residents. PC Connect’s rural-route buses serve the communities of Stratford, Gadshill, Brunner, Milverton, Newton, Millbank, Listowel, Atwood, Monkton and Mitchell through a regular loop providing connections to employment, health care, education, social connections and services across the region.
PC Connect also operates as three intercommunity routes which offer urban connections and include service between Listowel and Kitchener-Waterloo (Route 1), St. Marys, Stratford and Kitchener-Waterloo (Route 2), and Stratford and St. Marys (Route 3). These intercommunity routes are not being considered for the purposes of this survey.
PC Connect users have until Oct. 30 to respond to the survey, which is also available in hard copy at any of Perth County’s municipal offices. Anyone who needs alternate forms of the survey can fill out an online form available on the PC Connect website at www.perthcounty.ca/PCConnect-Feedback.
After the survey closes, the feedback provided will be presented to council as part of an overall report on the future of PC Connect during budget deliberations.
“The community transportation steering committee and county council have been looking at a variety of options once the (Community Transportation Grant Program) funding is exhausted,” Dias said. “ … There are some sources of funding that will support the service over the long term. Obviously, fare revenue is one, provincial gas tax is also a source of long-term funding we’re hoping to access, as well as the Ontario Transit Investment Fund, which is a newer fund the province has announced to help support rural transit.
“Those are all parts of the equation that we’re looking at and including in our options, but in all cases, we’re not expecting the service to be fully funded, so council will be looking at the impact on the (tax) levy.”
The options council is considering are extending the program by nine months to Dec. 31, 2025, at which time a decision on PC Connect’s future beyond that point will be made; discontinuing the transit service when the funding runs out in March; or committing to a longer-term, three-year agreement to extend the service to 2028, which also includes the cost of purchasing a new bus fleet for the rural-route service.
Should the service continue past March 2025, Dias said it will likely cost the county almost $300,000 for the remainder of 2025 and then a little more than $500,000 annually until the end of 2028.
“In addition to understanding the impact of the service on the community, (council) also will be balancing a number of other factors in determining the future of PC Connect in the overall budgeting process,” Dias said. “So, hearing from as many stakeholders as possible will be important in their decision making because they obviously have many other projects and things they’re considering at budget time.”
Comments