28% Of Polled Passengers Use Huron Shores Area Transit To Get To Work

by Bob Montgomery

Huron Shores Area Transit recently conducted a series of six one-question polls published between April 29 and July 19 to gather basic demographic information about its riders.

They received a total of 635 completed entries that provided a snapshot in time of who rides their buses. One of the key findings from the collected poll data revealed that 28% of respondents use Huron Shores Area Transit to get to work, which highlights the importance of the transit system in supporting daily commutes for the local community. The polls also showed that other reasons for riding the bus included 20% of riders getting to social or leisure activities and 16% using the service for shopping and attending medical appointments.

The poll also provided insights into where passengers call home, with 25% of local passengers living in Lambton Shores , followed by Kettle & Stony Point First Nations at 8%, South Huron at 6%, Bluewater, North Middlesex and Goderich at 3% and Central Huron 1%. 27% of polled passengers live in London and 20% in Sarnia and given the time of year the polls were conducted, it's assumed these passengers were travelling into the area for work or leisure. The poll also indicated that 34% of respondents work full-time or part-time, 21% are retirees, 13% are students, and 8% are stay-at-home parents.

HSAT Transit Coordinator Susan Mills says they're pleased to see the positive response from the community regarding their reliance on public transit. “These poll results provide a benchmark by which we can measure future passenger data.”

As Huron Shores Area Transit approaches the final eight months of full funding under Ontario's Community Transportation Grant Program, the poll results, ridership, and revenue data will play an important role in shaping the transit system's future beyond the transit pilot project's end date of March 31, 2025.

For more information about routes, schedules, fares and Smart Cards, visit the Huron Shores Area Transit website. To speak with a live operator about times and schedules, call 1-888-465-0783 between 9 am and 5 pm daily.