Huron Shores Area Transit (HSAT) is implementing its first flex bus stop on its Route 2 Grand Bend to London bus, on Monday, December 18, 2023. The flex stop will enable HSAT passengers to connect with Megabus, an inter-city bus service offering bus travel to major cities in southern Ontario and Quebec, such as Toronto, Kingston, Windsor, Kirkland and Montreal.
HSAT is funded through the Community Transportation Grant Program (CTGP), which supports local and intercommunity bus service in underserved areas. One program objective is to encourage coordination between transit services to enable travel to destinations farther afield.
London Transit has allowed HSAT to use another of its bus stops (already using LTC #1817SB and #705). Bus stop #1820EB, located at University Drive and Sunset Road, across from Elgin Hall Residence, is ideally situated to enable passenger access to the Megabus bus stop, located on the parking lot turning circle behind the residence building. From bus stop to bus stop, it’s just a three-minute, 240-metre walk!
To use the flex bus stop, HSAT passengers must book two business days ahead of when they want to access the bus stop. Bookings are made by phone at 519-243-1400 ext. 8108 (8:30 am-4:30 pm Monday to Friday) or by email to transit@lambtonshores.ca. When boarding the bus, the passenger tells the driver they have booked to use the flex stop (the driver will have a matching confirmation).
“We’re always looking for ways to make bus travel with us easier and more convenient,” says Transit Coordinator Susan Mills. “Collaboration with London Transit has enabled us to provide connection points into the London Transit system, PC Connect, Strathroy-Caradoc Transit, and now Megabus. It gets meaningful when passengers without access to a vehicle can independently travel to other cities to visit family and friends.”
