Transit Windsor Recovery Plan
As businesses and workplaces reopen within the City of Windsor, the demand for transit service in Windsor may increase. Overall ridership is currently about 83% lower than pre-pandemic levels, and since the restart of operations in early May, Transit Windsor has continuously reviewed and adapted service delivery in response to operational demands. Additional routes and busses have been added to accommodate the modest increase in ridership over the past two months. Furthermore, the Ontario Ministry of Transportation has recently published detailed guidelines for public transit systems, and the City of Windsor is committed to adhering to these best practices. With all of this in mind, Transit Windsor will be implementing further service revisions to continue to provide safe and reliable service to the community:
Face Masks
The Ontario government and the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit recommend that anyone travelling on public transit wear a non-medical mask where physical distancing is hard to maintain.
Effective immediately, it will be mandatory for Transit Windsor riders to wear a non-medical mask on buses, as well as at the Windsor International Transit Terminal. Exemptions will be for children under the age of two and persons with disabilities or medical conditions that prevent a person from wearing a facemask. With the requirement to wear a non-medical mask, Transit Windsor will remove some of the social distancing signs from seats, returning the busses to near normal capacity. Only the front area behind the driver, which is reserved for a wheelchair/person with a disability, will remain closed to other riders. Once a bus reaches 20 passengers, a sign will be displayed indicating “Sorry the bus is full” and will pass normal stops. When possible, an additional bus will be inserted into service.
Resumption of South Windsor 7 Route
In order to address rider service needs, effective Monday, July 13, 2020, the South Windsor 7 route will resume a “Saturday” schedule, Monday through Saturday. Transit users are reminded to check the website for all schedule information.
Customer Service
Effective Sunday, July 12, the Windsor International Transit Terminal will be open in anticipation of Transit Windsor’s return to front door boarding and fare collection. Smart Cards can be reloaded and new Smart Rides can be purchased to avoid lengthy lines. Smart Cards are not active until the first tap of the farebox and will remain valid until that time. Please visit www.transitwindsor.ca for further details on operating hours and Smart Cards.
Please Note: Notice will be provided when a date for a return to a paid service is set.
Ridership Data Table:
2019 Ridership (per week) |
Approximately 138,000 |
Week of May 4 to 11 |
10,341 |
Week of May 10 to 16 |
15,169 |
Week of May 17 to 23 |
19,422 |
Week of May 24 to 30 |
24,267 |
Week of May 31 to June 6 |
27,234 |
Week of June 7 to June 13 |
28,444 |
Week of June 14 to June 20 |
29,670 |
Week of June 21 to June 27 |
31,112 |
Week of June 29 to July 4 |
30,823 |
Ten week average ridership (percentage) |
17.4% |
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