Tecumseh Transit ridership drops slightly in 2025

The Town of Tecumseh is rolling out a fully electric transit fleet in Tecumseh, Ont., on July 3, 2025. (Chris Campbell/CTV News Windsor)

The Tecumseh Transit Service experienced a dip in ridership in 2025.

According to the Town of Tecumseh, a total of 17,461 riders used the TTS in 2025, down six per cent from the 18,588 riders in 2024.

The overall average daily ridership for 2025 was 58 riders, a decrease from 61 riders per day in 2024.

Tecumseh Mayor Gary McNamara says while there was a slight dip in ridership, they will look at expanding routes as the community grows.

“It is providing a unique service in particular to seniors, disabled folks, and students who are the primary recipients of the service,” he says.

In 2025, the most frequently used bus stops continued to be the following:

1. Tecumseh Mall in Windsor (53.2% of total ridership);
2. Zehrs grocery store plaza on Manning Road (5.2% of total ridership).
3. Food Basics grocery store plaza on Manning Road (5.0% of total ridership);
4. L’Essor High School / Cada Library (4.9% of total ridership); and
5. Southfield bus stop, immediately preceding Tecumseh Mall (3.6% of total ridership).

The report says that in total, these five bus stops accounted for approximately 72 per cent of total ridership boardings in 2025, with the remaining 28 per cent of ridership boardings being distributed to the remaining 30 bus stop locations.

McNamara says Tecumseh Mall in Windsor remains the number stop for ridership as people transfer to and from the Transit Windsor system.

“You can see with the ridership of seniors and disabled, obviously the need to get to grocery stores and shopping is very important for them. That’s why you can identify those spots as very positive and popular,” he says.

McNamara says they’re hoping to break through to a new level of ridership in 2026.

“We’re pushing the envelope close to 20,000 ridership per year, and that’s the threshold; we certainly would like to see that,” he says.

The total revenue for 2025 was $16,905, compared to $19,663 in 2024, a 16 per cent decrease.

A town report notes that some of the decrease in revenue was due to a delay in the delivery of the fare boxes for the new electric buses; therefore, no fares were collected for approximately three weeks in late July and early August of 2025 at the time of the introduction of the new buses.