Stratford welcomes new commuter transit option

Bus company now offering service in Stratford Stratford has limited public transportation, but as Jeff Pickel reports, a new bus service is coming to the city.

It was tough pill to swallow for Stratford Mayor Martin Ritsma when GO Train service left his city.

“Certainly when I got the news that GO was not going to extend the pilot project that was tough,” Ritsma said.

For years, the city has struggled to find a reliable inter-city transit option.

“It's a challenge because we haven't had the investment from higher level governments to maintain it, and it almost seems like it's falling on the municipality,” said Ritsma.

Ritsma says improved commuter rail service remains the long term goal, but they needed to find something in the interim.

That’s where Onex bus, a private Ontario-based commuter bus service, stepped in.

Starting Jan. 2, Onex has been operating seven days a week, with multiple trips connecting Stratford with London, Kitchener and Toronto.

Onex says they saw the opening when GO service left, and worked with the City of Stratford to create another option.

The company says they are confident in their new Stratford service, and are eager to work with riders to make improvements.

“We are very optimistic, we are taking suggestions from people through our website or they can call our customer support line, if they have any suggestions or ideas, anything that will help us research and make the service better,” said Andrea Medeiros with Onex.