Temiskaming Shores transit riders frustrated with state of shuttle service

Transit services gap frustrates Temiskaming riders Temiskaming Shores is waiting to relaunch its transit program in late February or March. It currently has taxi cabs running the bus route.

Temiskaming Shores residents and transit riders say they are “disgusted” with the city after their transit service was significantly changed.

The city's transit contract expired at the end of the year and while the municipality is securing a new contract in March, transit service is being provided with taxi cabs for the time being.

Waiting for transit has never been such a pain for rider Mitchell Leopold. Out in the freezing cold at the bus shelter, these last few weeks he's had to wait hours -- not for a bus, but a taxi cab.

"You can't rely on any specific time and you get extremely cold," Leopold said, as he was shivering.

He's not the only rider upset about the situation. Peter Greyson uses the city bus to get to work, for medical appointments and to get groceries.

"I've had to make arrangements with work so I can work from home. Getting groceries on this kind of transit system is simply not workable," Greyson said.

The city is using local taxi cabs as its bus service because its contract with the previous shuttle provider, Stock Transportation, expired Dec. 31, leaving the municipality without a transit service.

"It's not an ideal situation," said Temiskaming Shores Mayor Jeff Laferriere.

A new provider, Voyago, was awarded the contract to relaunch the Temiskaming Transit service. But the company isn't quite ready to start until early March at the latest.

In the meantime, the city's only taxi service, DK Temiskaming Shore's Taxi, is using some of its vans to run the bus routes.

The route stretches through Cobalt, Haileybury and New Liskeard with stops in between the three communities.

That means there are extremely long wait times for those catching a ride. Riders report transit stop waits are sometimes two hours or more.

When a cab is full, riders will have to wait even longer for the next cab to pick them up.

"We were up at the local mall and it stopped but only had room for two people," said Leopold.

"There were three of us. Two people got in first and I had to wait there for another cab for two hours."

The city tried using a small school bus loaned from East Ferris during the first week of January, but a lack of adequately trained drivers shut that idea down quickly.

"We're doing everything in our power to get this service up and running," said Laferriere.

'HAVE PATIENCE WITH US'

"Have patience with us. I know Voyago had a crew of five here this week and they're working diligently."

Carol Hearn, manager of Toppers Pizza in New Liskeard, said employees that use the bus to get to work are constantly late due to the change in service.

It's starting to impact her business and she fears other businesses are also feeling the effects.

"It's not very good business,” Hearn said.

“It makes us short-staffed and it's usually supper rush when I have those employees in. It puts us in a pickle."

The municipality said it spoke to Voyago on Friday morning. The company is ready to have its first formal shuttle bus hitting the streets early next week.

The city is recommending the cab service stay on with that bus to fill the gap. But full service won't be starting for several weeks.

For transit riders, that long wait can't end soon enough.

"To have a two-month gap in transit is unacceptable," said Greyson.

Voyago has hired two local drivers and a transit supervisor. Once training is completed, bus inspections will be completed before they can hit the streets.

"Please have our buses ready sooner than later," said rider Catherine Cozac.

"We do need them."