City Seeking Public Input Sought for Transit Terminal Upgrades

The City of Peterborough invites the public to an information session on Wednesday at City Hall from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. to learn about planned updates to the Simcoe Street Transit Terminal, provide feedback and share ideas on what improvements they would like considered for the space.

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The Transit Terminal is located at 190 Simcoe St. The update will reconfigure the bus bay area so that buses no longer have to reverse out of the pickup and drop off locations.

The City is seeking input to ensure that the planned upgrades will meet the community's needs. Residents can learn more about this project and share feedback in an online survey at connectptbo.ca/TransitTerminal. Paper copies of the survey are available at the Customer Service desk at the Transit Terminal.

The current terminal bus bay design, part of the Simcoe Street parking garage built in 1974, has not changed and is still in use. Both the Transportation Master Plan and Transit Route Review and Long-term Growth Strategy identified an ongoing safety concern with the buses backing out of these bays several times each hour.

The current Transit system operates with staggered arrival and departure times for the seven buses that service the terminal, no longer requiring individual bays for each route.

The new design will create a wider platform area from the terminal walls to the platform's edge. These new stop locations will have a “saw-tooth” alignment.

The key features of a sawtooth design are:

• Angled Bays: each bay has a designated stopping area at an angle to the curb.

• Easier Departure: Buses can leave independently without having to wait for those ahead to move.

• Efficient Use of Space: Reduces the required curb length compared to a straight line stop alignment.

• Improved Traffic Flow: Minimizes disruptions to traffic lanes.

• Improved Safety and Visibility: Drivers have a forward view as they depart. Many transit systems remove conditions that require a bus to reverse. Looking and moving forward reduces the safety risks.

Other improvements and upgrades will include new lighting fixtures and route signage, fresh painting of the walls and under the canopy, new benches and accessibility features. Three new bus shelters will be added along Simcoe Street.

This project is presently in the planning stage, with construction scheduled for the beginning of August 2025 and lasting approximately four weeks.

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Peterborough Transit Resuming Some Routes From Ice Storm Aftermath

Some Peterborough Transit routes have resumed with some detours due to hazards such as downed power lines affecting routes caused by the weekend’s ice storm.

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Power has been restored to the Simcoe Street bus terminal following the aftermath of the weekend weather.

The following transit routes are in operation:

• Routes #5 and #10: Operating regularly scheduled routes. 

• Route #11 will resume operation at 9:30 a.m. Route 11A is not operational yet.

• Route #2: Operating with a minor detour around Reid Street near Hunter Street.

• Route #4: Operating from the Peterborough Museum and Archives via Hunter Street to the bus terminal and extending west to the Peterborough Regional Health Centre via Charlotte Street.

• Route #7: Traveling to and from Fleming College via Lansdowne Street, detouring around River Road, Otonabee Drive and Middlefield Road, connecting to Trent University via Water Street from Parkhill Road.

A shuttle bus taking residents from the downtown core to the City’s three warming centres resumed operations at 8 a.m. this morning.

The shuttle bus runs in a loop and stops to pick up or drop off passengers at the following locations:

• Murray and George streets, outside City Hall

• The Simcoe Street Bus Terminal

• The Peterborough Sport and Wellness Centre, 775 Brealey Dr.

• Healthy Planet Arena, 911 Monaghan Rd.

• Miskin Law Community Complex, 271 Lansdowne St. W.

The shuttle bus is free and available to all residents. It runs on a 30-minute loop.

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Peterborough Transit Providing Special Shuttle Bus Service To City's Warming Centres

A free shuttle bus is available for residents who need transportation to any of the City of Peterborough’s three warming centres, announced on Monday afternoon.

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The shuttle will run every 30 minutes starting at 2 p.m. The last trip departs City Hall at 10:50 p.m.

The route runs in the following loop:

• Murray and George streets, outside City Hall, 500 George St. N.

• The Simcoe Street Bus Terminal

• The Peterborough Sport and Wellness Centre, 775 Brealey Dr.

• Healthy Planet Arena, 911 Monaghan Rd.

• Miskin Law Community Complex, 271 Lansdowne St. W.

This shuttle bus is free of charge and available to all residents.

Regular transit service is suspended until further notice.

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Peterborough Transit Raising Fares By 25 Cents Beginning Jan. 27

Peterborough Transit is increasing its fares, which will be implemented on Jan. 27, announced by the City of Peterborough on Friday.

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Peterborough City Council approved the increase of 25 cents per single ride as part of the 2025 budget deliberations.

The following are the fare changes:

Children ages 12 and under ride for free.

Transit passes can be purchased at the Transit Terminal, 190 Simcoe St. or at Lansdowne Place, 645 Lansdowne St. W.

Transit fares can also be paid by using the HotSpot App which is available for Apple and Android mobile devices.

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Peterborough Transit Making Service Adjustments For the Holidays Starting Thursday

Service adjustments will be in place for some Peterborough Transit routes during the holiday period, until Jan. 5, beginning Thursday.

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Late-night service is suspended from Dec 19 to Jan. 5. On weekdays and Saturdays, the last trip will depart no later than 11:30 p.m. On Sundays and holidays, the last trip for any route departs no later than 7:30 p.m.

Late-night service on Routes 5 and 6 to Trent University and Fleming College will be temporarily suspended as of Thursday, with regular late-night service to both locations resuming on Jan. 5.

Service on Route 11 and 11A Water will be temporarily suspended from Thursday until Jan. 5 with regular service resuming on Jan. 6.

On Dec. 24 and Dec. 31, the last trip will depart no later than 7:30 p.m. for all routes, with all service ending for the day by 8:30 p.m.

There is no Transit service on Christmas and New Year’s Day.

All Transit routes will operate on a Sunday/Holiday schedule on Thursday. The last trip will depart no later than 7:30 p.m. for all routes, with all service ending for the day by 8:30 p.m.

Transit Customer Service desk

The Customer Service desk at the Simcoe Street Terminal will operate with adjusted hours for the holiday period: 

• Tuesday, Dec. 24: 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

• Wednesday, Dec. 25: closed

• Thursday, Dec. 26: 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

• Friday, Dec. 27 to Monday, Dec. 30: regular hours

• Tuesday, Dec. 31: 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

• Wednesday, Jan. 1: closed

Regular hours resume at the Simcoe Street Bus Terminal on Jan. 2.

Service changes effective December 29, 2024

To improve efficiency and safety, the following adjustments will be in place starting Dec. 29:

Route 2 Chemong

Route 2 Chemong will follow a loop that starts and ends at the downtown Terminal. Twenty-minute service continues with minor adjustments to the timetables.

Preview timetables are available on the Route 2 Chemong web page.

Route 6 Sherbrooke

On weekday westbound service, an early morning and late night trip is being added, with minor timing adjustments to one early morning westbound trip. An early morning trip will be added to weekday eastbound service.

Saturday eastbound service will include one new early morning trip on the eastbound route and a late night trip added to the westbound route.

Sunday/Holiday service will have an additional late-night trip starting Dec. 29.

The Link – Route 31 Curve Lake

The weekday service schedule has been adjusted to align with GO Transit drop-offs and pick-ups.

Bus stop changes

The southbound bus stop on George Street at Townsend Street will no longer be in service as of Dec. 29. The new stop will be located at George Street at Rink Street.

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Peterborough Transit Beginning Service Enhancements Next Tuesday

Beginning next Tuesday, Peterborough Transit will implement route improvements, including extended service, increased service frequency and some bus stop changes, as announced by the City of Peterborough on Monday.

Photo by Keegan Beekers.

The changes have been planned to improve service for Peterborough Transit commuters.

Use the live Transit tracker at pt.mytransitride.com which has a trip planner, shows the locations of buses on routes and estimates the time of arrival at each stop.

An interactive map, complete route schedules and more information are available at peterborough.ca/TransitRoutes.

Route 2 Chemong

• Southbound and northbound: On weekdays, enhancing the frequency of service. Starting at 8:20 a.m. from Lansdowne Place and 9 a.m. from Trent, it will run every 20 minutes until 6 p.m.

• Southbound and northbound: Extending the existing service in the northbound direction from Lansdowne Place to Bata Library at Trent University. The southbound direction will begin at Bata Library, Trent University and run to Lansdowne Place.

• The route extension: Northbound from the regular route on Chemong Road, turn right onto Broadway Boulevard, turn right onto Rowberry Boulevard, turn right onto Milroy Drive, turn left onto Towerhill Road, turn right onto Hilliard Street, turn left onto Marina Boulevard, turn left onto Water Street, turn right onto Nassau Mills Road, and turn left onto West Bank Drive to Bata Library. Southbound will be the same route in the opposite direction.

• New stops at Broadway Boulevard at Grange Way, Rowberry Boulevard at Haylock Gardens, Rowberry Boulevard at Milroy Drive, and Milroy Drive at Ferguson Place.

Route 3 Park

• Southbound and northbound: Increased frequency on weekday morning trips between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m. resume on September 3. 

Route 5 The Parkway

• Southbound and northbound: Increased frequency on weekdays will resume with Route 5 transitioning to a 30-minute schedule until 6 p.m. on September 3. 

• Northbound: Weekday and Saturday late-night service resumes from midnight until 2:05 a.m. on September 3. 

Route 6 Sherbrooke

• Starting September 3, weekday and Saturday late-night service resumes westbound from 12:10 a.m. until 2:10 a.m. and eastbound from 12:32 a.m. to 2:32 a.m. 

Route 7 Lansdowne

• Starting September 3, weekday morning and afternoon school trips resume. 

• Westbound: An additional weekday morning trip will serve Holy Cross Secondary School leaving Walker Avenue at Bramble Road at 7:45 a.m., arriving at Holy Cross Secondary School at 8:16 a.m.  

• Eastbound: An additional weekday morning trip will serve Thomas A. Stewart Secondary School, leaving Willowcreek Plaza at 8:05 a.m., arriving at Thomas A. Stewart Secondary School at 8:30 a.m. 

Route 9 Parkhill

• Westbound and eastbound: Increased frequency on weekday morning and afternoon trips will resume on September 3. 

Route 11/11A Water

• Southbound and northbound: Weekday service resumes on September 3.  

Route 12 Otonabee

• Route extension to include the Collison Avenue area.

• The route extension: from Bensfort Road the bus will turn left onto Maxwell Avenue, turn left onto Sherin Avenue, continue on Southpark Drive, turn left onto Collison Avenue, and turn left onto Bensfort Road, where it will resume the regular route.

• Weekday services run from 8:30 a.m. until 5:30 p.m., leaving the terminal every 45 minutes.

• New stops: Maxwell Avenue at Barker Avenue, Maxwell Avenue at Sherin Avenue, Southpark Drive at Collison Avenue, and Collison Avenue at Bensfort Road.

Bus stop changes: Route 12 Otonabee

• Woodland Drive at Linden Avenue: New stop on Woodland Drive, south side at Linden Avenue.

• Barnardo Avenue at Bennet Street: Moved to crosswalk on Barnardo Avenue at Dumble Avenue.

• Milford Drive at Middlefield Road: Moved from east side of Milford Drive west to corner beside stop sign at Middlefield Drive.

• The Parkway at The Queensway: Northbound direction moved from the south side to the north side of The Queensway.

Construction detours continue:

• Armour Road Detour: Route 7A Lansdowne continues to detour via Rogers Street.

• Brealey Drive Detour: Route 9 Parkhill continues to detour via Kawartha Heights Blvd.

• Lansdowne Street Detour: Route 23 Red Community bus continues to detour via Romaine.

• Parkhill Road Detour: Route 9 Parkhill continues to detour via McDonnel. Route 11A continues to detour via Dublin to McDonnel.

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Peterborough Transit Making Service Adjustments Starting June 23

Peterborough Transit is adjusting some of its routes starting this Sunday.

Photo by Keegan Beekers.

Changes include increased frequency on Route 2 Chemong and a seasonal shift to weekday hourly service on routes that typically experience lower volumes over the summer.

Route improvements including new stops, expanded service, enhancements to rider safety and improved timing on connections between routes, will be made to Route 4 Weller, Route 8 Monaghan and Community Bus Routes 22 and 23.

Route 2 Chemong

On weekdays between 9:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m., both southbound and northbound service will increase frequency, with trips departing every 20 minutes.

Route 3 Park

Weekday service will transition to an hourly schedule for southbound and northbound routes.

Route 4 Weller

• Eastbound route will travel west off Medical Drive onto Alexander Court, servicing new stops on Alexander Court at Extendicare, Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC) at south entrance, PRHC at main entrance and PRHC at the Emergency Department.

• Westbound route will bypass the PRHC circle, travel along Hospital Drive past the Medical Centre to Weller Street and loop into the hospital on the eastbound return route. 

Route 5 The Parkway

Weekday service will transition to an hourly schedule for southbound and northbound routes.

Route 8 Monaghan

• While the frequency of both southbound and northbound trips remains the same, service has been increased by five minutes on all trips.

• Southbound and northbound routes will now serve the Lily Lake Road subdivision, travelling on Lily Lake Road, turning south on York Drive, and proceeding to a new stop near the York Drive roundabout. As of June 23, the Casino stop on Route 8 is no longer in service.

• Northbound route will turn west off Medical Drive onto Alexander Court, servicing new stops on Alexander Court at Extendicare, continuing to PRHC at south entrance, PRHC at main entrance, and PRHC at the Emergency Department entrance.

Route 9 Parkhill

Weekday service will transition to an hourly schedule for both westbound and eastbound routes.

Community Bus Route 22 Blue and Route 23 Red

As part of a pilot project to enhance safety of our riders, both routes will no longer enter the circle at the main PRHC entrance due to the high volume of traffic in that area.

Community Bus Route 22 Blue and Route 23 Red will enter the PRHC travelling from Medical Drive, west onto Alexander Court, serving news stops on Alexander Court at Extendicare, the PRHC south entrance, main entrance at the walkway and the PRHC Emergency Department.

Construction detours

Peterborough Transit continues to adjust routes for construction detours this season. The following routes have detours in place while construction projects are underway:

• Route 7A Lansdowne eastbound will detour from Rogers Street to Dufferin Street to Armour Road

• Route 9 Parkhill will detour from Parkhill Road via McDonnel Street, and from Brealey Drive via Kawartha Heights Boulevard and Lansdowne Street West

• Westbound Route 23 Red Community Bus will detour via Romaine Street west to Park Street south to resume the regular route. Two temporary stops will be placed on the north side of Romaine Street: Romaine Street at Aylmer Street and Romaine Street at Park Street.

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Peterborough Transit Making Seasonal Adjustments To Several Routes

Peterborough Transit is making seasonal changes to some of its routes for the spring and summer.

Photo by Keegan Beekers.

Route 4 Weller

Route 4 Weller Eastbound will no longer travel into the hospital loop to improve route timing starting April 28. The stop on Weller Street at Sherwood Crescent has moved to Weller Street at the Peterborough Regional Health Centre Walkway.

Route 5 The Parkway

• Late-night Northbound service is suspended on weekdays and weekends from April 21 until the beginning of September 2024.

• Northbound Route 5 finishes at 11:35 p.m. Monday to Saturday and 7:35 p.m. on Sunday and Holidays.

Route 6 Sherbrooke

• Late-night service has been suspended on weekdays and weekends from April 21 until the beginning of September 2024.

• The last trip on both eastbound and westbound routes departs at 11:10 p.m. Monday to Saturday and 7:10 p.m. on Sundays and Holidays.

Route 7 Lansdowne

• Route 7 Lansdowne will transition to its spring/summer route using the 7A routing via Ashburnham, the Lift Lock, and Hunter Street from April 28 through Oct. 26. All stops on Rogers Street between Maria Street and Hunter Street will continue to be served by Route 4 trips.

• Route 7 Lansdowne rush hour 7B trip at 7:50 a.m. from Willowcreek Boulevard to Fleming College has been suspended from service starting on Sunday.

• Route 7 Lansdowne rush hour 7B trips between Willowcreek Boulevard and Fleming College have been suspended from service on Saturday, Sunday, and holidays starting on Sunday.

Route 11 Water

Route 11 and 11A Water which serves Trent University, was suspended on April 21 until the beginning of September 2024.

Community Bus route changes

Effective Sunday, Route 22 Blue and Route 23 Red Community Bus will no longer travel on George Street past Simcoe Street.

• Route 22 Blue Community Bus will turn from George Street onto Simcoe Street and proceed to the bus terminal. From the bus terminal, the route will continue on Simcoe Street to Aylmer Street, turn left onto Aylmer Street to Charlotte Street, and turn right onto Charlotte Street to the regular route.

• Route 23 Red Community Bus will turn from George Street onto Simcoe Street and proceed to the bus terminal. From the bus terminal, the route will continue on Simcoe Street to Aylmer Street, turn left onto Aylmer Street to Lansdowne Street, to the regular route.

Detours

Peterborough Transit will make adjustments to routes for construction detours as they arise. The following routes have detours in place while construction projects are underway:

• Route 7A Lansdowne eastbound will detour from Rogers Street to Dufferin Street to Armour Road

• Route 9 Parkhill will detour from Parkhill Road via McDonnel Street and from Brealey Drive via Kawartha Heights Boulevard and Lansdowne Street West

• Westbound Route 23 Red Community Bus will detour via Romaine Street west to Park Street south to resume the regular route. Two temporary stops will be placed on the north side of Romaine Street: Romaine Street at Aylmer Street and Romaine Street at Park Street.

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Peterborough Transit To Provide Grade 8 Transit Quest Program During March Break

Peterborough Transit has partnered with Active School Travel Peterborough to provide the Grade 8 Transit Quest program from March 8 to March 17.

Photo by Keegan Beekers.

The program encourages students to use public transit by providing a free transit pass during March Break.

The Quest’s purpose is to increase students’ familiarity of the Peterborough Transit system as they begin to travel independently. Peterborough Transit alos wants a goal of making transit a mode of transportation that is both normal and accessible for local youth. Children aged 12 and under ride transit free year-round.

As incentive, students will receive a destination passport along with their transit passes which features free or discounted travel destinations.

“This is a great program to encourage kids to get familiar with Peterborough Transit routes,” said Ashley Burnie, GreenUp program coordinator. “Transit is an ideal transportation option for students to get to part-time jobs, shopping or seeing friends across town.”

Active School Travel Peterborough will be distributing the Grade 8 Transit Quest destination passports and free transit passes to Grade 8 classes in the City of Peterborough this week.

Ten destinations are featured in the Transit Quest destination passport including the Sport and Wellness Centre, the Public Library, the Museum and Archives and the Art Gallery of Peterborough, among other local businesses. Participants are encouraged to post to social media with #PTBOTransitQuest to share their journey and return their passports to their teacher to be entered into a class raffle.

New to the program are on-bus orientations for classes upon request.

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Peterborough Transit Fare to Increase Starting Feb. 1

Peterborough Transit fare are increasing as approved through the City’s 2024 Budget on Dec. 11 and come into effect on Feb. 1, announced on Thursday morning.

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Peterborough Transit fares last increased three years ago on Jan. 31.

Children 12 years and under continue to ride free.

Bus passes can be purchased at the downtown Transit Terminal on 190 Simcoe St. or at Lansdowne Place at 645 Lansdowne St. W. Fare can also be purchased by using the HotSpot App.

The following are the fare increases from the City:

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