Project Summary

Bus stop balancing involves the thoughtful removal and/or relocation of bus stops along a route to achieve more consistent spacing, maintain convenient access, and provide faster, more reliable service for our customers.

Fewer bus stops along a route means:

• Faster and More Reliable Commutes

  • Shorter overall trip times with fewer delays.

  • Convenient access is maintained with five minutes or less of walking or rolling between most stops.

• Safer and Smoother Rides

  • More comfortable journeys with less stopping, starting, and lane changing.

• Improved Operational Efficiency

  • Fewer stops reduce fuel use, vehicle wear and tear, and driver labour hours.

  • Savings from efficiency and stop maintenance can be reinvested into other service improvements

• Benefits to Non-Riders

  • More curb space for parking

  • Better traffic flow along busy streets

Pilot Project

🗣️Share Your Feedback

Community input is an important part of this project. Residents are encouraged to share their thoughts on bus stop balancing. The survey will be open starting November 10 until December 7.

🌟 Take the Survey.🌟

Piloted Routes

• Route 14 Arthur

  • 51% of stops are less than 250 metres apart (about two blocks).

  • The two closest stops were just 115 metres apart.

  • About 90% of customers will not need to change their journeys.

• Route 10 Northwood

  • 57% of stops are less than 250 metres apart (about two blocks).

  • The two closest stops were just 100 metres apart – roughly the length of the platform at Waterfront Terminal.

  • About 94% of customers will not need to change their journeys.

Timeline

The pilot project will run for a period of 6 weeks, after which a decision will be made after evaluating functionality and survey feedback.

Interactive Route Maps

Interactive maps have been created to show which bus stops are being reviewed as part of bus stop balancing.

• Red “X” – Bus stop proposed for removal

• Yellow bus icon – New location of a relocated bus stop

• Blue bus icon – No change to the bus stop

Route 14 Arthur Map

Route 10 Northwood Map

Why is Bus Stop Balancing Important?

In many areas, bus stops in Thunder Bay are too close together. Bus stops should be spaced 250 to 500 metres apart (a 3–6 minute walk). However, on some routes more than half of stops are closer together, with some appearing twice on the same block.

When stops are too close together:

• Buses spend more time slowing down, pulling into stops, waiting for traffic to pass, and pulling back out.

• This increases travel time for everyone onboard.

By thoughtfully removing and consolidating stops, travel time is reduced and service becomes more reliable.

Balancing stops requires careful trade-offs. Each change is evaluated for accessibility, customer safety and comfort, topography, service type, distance between stops, adjacent land use, and how often the stop is used.