Peterborough Airport Soars Again With First Chartered Flight Since 2019

It was a three-year flight delay but Peterborough Airport had its first chartered trip this year, sending 107 passengers off to New Orleans, La. on Thursday morning.

This is the eight year BST Vacations has offered departures from the Peterborough Airport. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

The flight was from Blowes & Stewart Travel Group (BST), flying a Boeing 737-400 that will return on Sunday as part of their three-day travel package.

The travel agency has not had a flight in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Scott Stewart, BST president was happy to see the passengers’ smiling faces when they boarded the plane.

"We knew it had to be about community and the community first,” he said. “When we saw the thralls of people that came that have been on our regulars, it was just so heartwarming to see that."

The flight offered its passengers food and drink that are all locally sourced.

Continental breakfast and in-flight meals were hand-picked and made the morning of the flight by Sobeys Catering department (Lansdowne Street location). Beer served was from Publican House Brewery with a new Pet Pilsner. Those proceeds went towards funding the Peterborough Animal Care Centre for the Peterborough Humane Society. Liquor came from Black’s Distillery, specifically their Heritage Vodka as an alternate alcoholic option.

The airport remained busy during the pandemic despite no travel flights. Maintenance, cleaning and other operations that uses the facility kept everyone running at full speed according to Malcolm Cook, airport manager."

"We haven't had as much travel flight occurring at the airport,” he said. “The college (Seneca) has continued their operations, Flying Colours (Corp.) has continued theirs so our jobs have pretty much remained the same."

Both Cook and Stewart anticipate more chartered flights in the future with the first one taking off. Nashville, Tenn., Savannah, Ga. and Las Vegas, Nev. are three US destinations BST has already planned according to their website.

"I think we're all looking forward to seeing the pandemic behind us," said Cook. "Anything that beckons towards that is great."

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URide Peterborough To Donate Proceeds Collected On Thursday To Peterborough Shares

URide Peterborough announced that portions from each ride on Thursday will be donated to Peterborough Shares.

File Photo.

Peterborough Shares is a Facebook group that aims to help anyone in need. To date URide Peterborough has donated over $850 to the group.

The group provides those in need the opportunity to ask for things like groceries or household items, and provides those with excess the opportunity to offer it.

Recently, thanks to individuals in the group and donations from organizations like URide Peterborough, the group was able to purchase a young woman clothing for a new job.

On Thursday a portion of each ride will be automatically donated to the group.

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Peterborough Transit Adjusting Some Routes As Of May 1

Peterborough Transit will adjust some routes effective May 1.

Photo by Luke Best.

Details are available online at www.peterborough.ca/TransitRoutes or by calling Peterborough Transit customer service at 705-745-0525.

Weller Route 4

Eastbound Weller Route 4 trips will no longer operate on Weller Street between Medical Drive and Monaghan Road. After serving Peterborough Regional Health Centre and exiting at Alexander Crescent, eastbound Route 4 trips will turn north on Medical Drive to Hospital Drive, east at Hospital Drive to Charlotte Street, east at Charlotte Street to Monaghan Road, and north on Monaghan Road to resume the regular route.

New bus stops have been added

• eastbound on Hospital Drive east of Victory Crescent

• northbound on Monaghan Road south of Gilmour Street

• northbound on Monaghan Road south of Weller Street

The eastbound bus stop on Weller Street before Albertus Avenue will be removed from service.

Lansdowne Route 7

The Lansdowne Route 7 route will adjust due to the seasonal opening of the Maria Street Swing Bridge for boaters. The route the between Trent University and Fleming College will follow the Route 7A path via Hunter Street, the Lift Lock tunnel, and Ashburnham Drive. Route 7 service along Rogers Street and Maria Street between at Hunter Street and Ashburnham Drive will be suspended until November.

Weekday eastbound trips departing from Fleming College from 6:55 a.m. to 8:55 a.m. will depart and operate later 5 minutes later through all locations.

Water Route 11

Trent University express Route 11 trips serving Peterborough Terminal and Route 11A trips serving Traill College will be suspended for the summer.

Late-night Service

Late-night service will be suspended for the summer on the Parkway Route 5 and Sherbrooke Route 6.

• On weekdays and Saturdays, all trips departing after 11:30 p.m. will be suspended.

• On Sundays and holidays. all trips departing after 7:30 p.m. will be suspended.

The last northbound Route 6 trip each night will operate 3 mins later from the terminal to allow for a connection from the last northbound route 5 trip.

Pink Community Bus

The free trial period on the Pink Community bus will end on Saturday, April 30, 2022. Beginning on Sunday, May 1 regular Peterborough Transit fares will apply for the on-demand service. Details on the pilot ride-share transit service called PTBOnDemand is online at https://www.peterborough.ca/en/city-services/on-demand-services.aspx or by calling the Peterborough Transit reservation line at 705-745-5801.

 

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Peterborough Transit Launches New Pilot Program On-Demand Transit Service

Peterborough Transit has introduced a new, on-demand transit service called PTBOnDemand as part of a pilot program located in the City’s east, southeast and downtown areas.

Photo by Luke Best.

On-demand transit is a ride-share service that allows transit vehicles to adjust routes and times depending on the requests received from customers each day. It is an intuitive, flexible and customer-friendly service.

On-demand trips will carry customers from the nearest bus stops available to service their pick-up and drop-off requests, regardless of the route taken. The on-demand service will use existing bus stops, plus some additional roads and stops in the operating area to make it more convenient.

Customers can download and use the new PTBOnDemand app on their smartphone or access the service by calling 705-745-5801 to book trips. Riders using the app will be able to track the real-time location of their vehicle and receive updates on when they will be picked up and dropped off.

During the pilot, Peterborough Transit will introduce the new Pink Community Bus serving the following areas:

Downtown

• East of Aylmer Street between Simcoe Street and Lansdowne Street.

• North of Lansdowne Street between Aylmer Street and River Road.

East City

• South of Hunter Street between Burnham Street and Ashburnham Drive.

Beavermead/Ashburnham

• Ashburnham Drive between Hunter Street and Otonabee Drive, including the Walker Avenue community to the east.

• Willowcreek Plaza community along Lansdowne Street.

Southeast - Otonabee

• Otonabee community including Collison Avenue and Middlefield Road areas.

The Pink Community Bus will operate from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays and Saturdays, and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sundays and holidays.

Trips on the Pink Community Bus will be free from March 30 until April 30. Regular fares still apply to ride on all other transit routes. Starting May 1, 2022 regular fares will apply to ride on the Pink Community Bus and transfers to other routes will be available and accepted.

For additional information about PTBOnDemand or the Pink Community Bus visit the Transit On-Demand webpage or call 705-745-0525.

Regular Peterborough Transit routes and Accessible Van Service will continue to operate as usual.

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Uride Donating All of Thursday's Profits For Ukrainian Efforts

Rideshare company Uride is donating all profits to support the people of Ukraine from all of Thursday’s fares.

Photo courtesy of Uride.

“What is happening in Ukraine is devastating, and we want to support people that have been forcibly displaced from their homes, their lives, and their families in any way we can,” said Cody Ruberto, Uride’s CEO. “This Thursday, March 10th, we are donating all profits to support Canada Ukraine Foundation and their work in Ukraine. ”

Passengers can support the cause by using Uride’s services. The rideshare company encourages those who cannot ride to look for other ways to support Ukraine.

The Uride app can be downloaded from the App Store or Google Play.

Donations can be made directly by clicking here.

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Express GO Bus Line to Richmond Hill Is Being Proposed For Peterborough

Getting to Toronto in three to four hours via public transit may be a thing of the past as MPP Dave Smith is proposing a new Express Go Bus line in Peterborough to the GO Bus station at Hwy 407 and Yonge Street in Richmond Hill.

File Photo.

The proposed line from Peterborough will arrive at the GO Bus station at Hwy 407 and Yonge St. in Richmond Hill with stops at Trent University, the Peterborough Bus Terminal and Fleming College.

A trip to Toronto/Peterborough would cut travel times with due to less traffic congestion on Highway 407 and would cost less roughly than $30 according to Smith.

The line will provide Peterborough with a direct route to Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) buses and subways, York Region Transit, GO buses, and access to the GO train and VIA Rail service. The service could reduce several hours in travel for a round-trip to Toronto and vice versa.

“Ontario is undergoing the largest transportation infrastructure expansion in the history of the province including a $28 billion transit expansion in the City of Toronto,” said Smith. “I want Peterborough to be included in that so that residents can easily work, make medical appointments, attend classes, and visit the entire region of Toronto.”

One benefit of the bus includes some relief from the housing crisis. There could be increased vacancies as a result of students making a commute to post-secondary schools in Peterborough.

“If I have 200 students that no longer move to Peterborough, that frees up 40-50 hours or apartments,” explained Smith. “If you have less demand, the market price doesn’t go up as fast. It should alleviate some of the pressures as rent goes up.”

Smith adds that tourism could see an increase as anyone from the GTA area has increased access to Peterborough.

“When you take a look at the leisure side of things, you could go see a Blue Jays game, the Raptors, the Leafs game,” said Smith. “Before, you could only have one tallboy and that’s it because you had to drive. Now you can enjoy a few extra adult beverages with the express bus.”

Smith held an open virtual town hall with Metrolinx on Tuesday night providing surveys to the general public regarding the need for the express bus.

Roughly 60 people were surveyed with approximately 96 per cent responding in favour of the bus line according to Smith.

If approved, the express bus could start in 18-24 months.

To take the online survey regarding the Express Go Bus, click here.

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Commercial Vehicles Temporarily Restricted To Half Loads On Certain City Streets

Commercial vehicles will be restricted to half loads on a number of streets in the City of Peterborough from March 1 to April 30.

Photo courtesy of The City of Peterborough.

Streets that will be restricted include:

• Airport Road from Sir Sanford Fleming Drive to the south city limits

• Armour Road from Nassau Mills Road to Paddock Wood

• Ashburnham Drive from McFarlane Street to Maria Street

• Ashburnham Drive from Neal Drive to the south city limits

• Bensfort Road from River Road South to the south city limits

• Brealey Drive from Parkhill Road West to Lansdowne Street West

• Carnegie Avenue

• Crawford Drive from Sir Sanford Fleming Drive to 0.6 km east of The Parkway

• Cumberland Avenue from Ungava Avenue to Carnegie Avenue

• Dobbin Road

• Guthrie Drive

• Harper Road

• Hetherington Drive from Richard Road to Woodland Drive

• Johnston Drive

• MacFarlane Avenue - from Trentview Road to Television Road

• Maniece Avenue from Ashburnham Drive to the east city limits

• McNamara Road from Guthrie Drive to Driscoll Road

• Nassau Mills Road

• Old Norwood Road from Ashburnham Drive to the east city limits

• Otonabee Drive

• Parkhill Road West from Ravenwood Drive to west city limits

• Parkhill Road East from Armour Road to Trent Severn Waterway Swing Bridge

• Pioneer Road

• River Road South from Lansdowne Street to Bensfort Road

• Sherbrooke Street from Glenforest Boulevard to the west city limits

• Towerhill Road from Chemong Road to Fairbairn Street

• University Road

• Wallace Point Road from Bensfort Road to Driscoll Road

• Whittington Drive

• Woodland Drive

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City To Host Meeting To Highlight Transportation Needs On East Side Of Peterborough

Planning for how people travel around the City and planning for transportation needs on the east side of the City will be the subject of public information meetings being held at noon and 6:30 p.m. on Feb. 3.

Photo courtesy of The City of Peterborough.

The meetings are being held as part of the development of the new city-wide Transportation Master Plan and the separate Eastside Transportation Study for the area east of the Otonabee River and north of Lansdowne Street East. The meetings will include a presentation about future transportation projects that could be recommended in the two studies as well as a question-and-answer period.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the public information meeting is being held online. People who cannot participate online can join by phone. To register, visit www.connectptbo.ca/moveptbo or call 705-742-7777 x 1749.

The presentation materials will be available for review and comment on the study websites at www.connectptbo.ca starting Jan. 28.

The new Transportation Master Plan will include recommendations for all modes of travel to accommodate population and employment growth to the year 2051.

The City Council-approved vision of the Transportation Master Plan is: As the City grows, Peterborough’s transportation network will be enhanced to create a low emissions, responsive system where people of all ages and abilities can move safely, sustainably and efficiently, no matter how they choose to travel, today and in the future.

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Ontario Provides Additional Funding For Public Transit to Peterborough and County

The Ontario Government is providing $1,913,675 to the City of Peterborough and $41,648 to the County of Peterborough to support the expansion and improvement of public transit services announced Wednesday.

Photo courtesy of City of Peterborough.

The funding is part of the province’s Gas Tax program which will allocate $375.6 million this year to 107 municipalities that deliver public transit.

“Affordable and reliable public transit in our community is important for seniors, people with disabilities and workers. This funding will support the city and county of Peterborough’s transit systems by ensuring investments in maintenance and fleet expansion can continue,” said MPP Dave Smith.

Funding for the Gas Tax program is determined by the number of litres of gasoline sold in the province during the previous year. Municipalities that support public transit services in their community receive two cents per litre of provincial Gas Tax revenue which can be used to extend service hours, buy transit vehicles, add routes, improve accessibility or upgrade infrastructure.

To make up for reduced gas sales due to COVID-19, this year’s Gas Tax funding includes one-time additional funding of $120.4 million to ensure municipalities can support their transit systems.

“Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, we have seen how critical public transit is for frontline workers and for Ontarians who depend on these services to get to medical appointments, the grocery store and other important locations,” said Caroline Mulroney, Minister of Transportation. “Gas Tax funding remains a vital source of long-term transit funding that municipalities can rely on to help operate and expand existing public transit services – ensuring people have access to safe and reliable transportation when they need it.”

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