At the end of 2023, there have been several changes reflected in my Ontario Intercity Transit Map. Intercity Bus, a London-based company that took over the closed Greyhound bus terminal there, launched a second route, offering three daily trips between London and Sarnia; they plan to launch a London-St. Thomas route as well. In January 2024, Deseronto Transit will start running a new fixed-route service between Belleville, Tynendiaga Mohawk Territory, Deseronto, and Napanee, with a route designed to serve major employers, shopping centres, and health services.
This year, GO Transit finally began service connecting Kitchener-Waterloo, Guelph, and Hamilton and improved rail and bus service on the Kitchener Corridor. This was one of the most important changes in 2023, though, as I argued here, they could do even more.
Unfortunately, some routes disappeared, including Grey Transit Route’s Walkerton-Flesherton Route 6, and Northumberland County’s service between Cobourg and Campbellford. At the end of January 2024, TOK Coachline’s bus serving Lindsay and Haliburton will also be gone for good. On-demand services have replaced fixed routes in parts of Durham Region and Norfolk County, while all service came to an end in Prescott & Russell and Manitoulin Island.
Keeping track of the changes continues to be challenging, given the lack of a central repository of transport services in Ontario. For this reason, I have made the choice to not map services provided by Book-a-Ride, whose schedules, routes, and locations change frequently, as that company acts more like a charter airline (changing routes and schedules regularly to meet expected demand) than a traditional motor coach operator (which has more consistent schedules and routes). I tried doing that once, and I will not attempt to do so again.
For now, gaps remain between London and St. Thomas, while Haldimand, and Elgin Counties remain entirely disconnected. Bruce County has just two bare threads connecting Saugeen Shores, Kincardine, and Goderich to the outside world, and Lindsay/Kawartha Lakes and Haliburton will soon lose their only public transport option.
As always, please message me with any corrections, changes, comments, or suggestions.
This interactive map has been migrated to a newer ArcGIS Online account, on account of ESRI suddenly changing its monthly service account to charge for bandwidth. I previously hosted my maps on a pay-as-you go account that helped me get re-acquainted with the ESRI ArcGIS Online platform before I set up a full online subscription to support a small business I co-founded in 2021.
What once cost me approximately US $8 a month to post maps such as my Ontario Intercity Map and these historical interactive maps cost me over US $1000 for November 2023. Though I got one email from ESRI US advising of the change in the billing, there was no way to expect that a monthly fee would go up over 1000%. As of December 27, I am still trying to get that addressed after several calls and emails and an unsuccessful attempt to contest the charge to my credit card.
I’m hoping for some good news soon on that front.
Sean Marshall 