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Orangeville Transit route changes trim service’s operating costs

March 26, 2026   ·   0 Comments

By JAMES MATTHEWS

Orangeville Transit ridership has grown compared to 2019 levels.

When comparing ridership from 2025 to 2019, the last year of transit prior to the COVID-19 pandemic’s social limitations, ridership is up by 83 per cent or 85,802.

From 2024 to 2025, overall ridership decreased by about 23.6 per cent or 58,486 riders.

Council received a transit update at its March 23 meeting.

Councillor Joe Andrews said the fare-free service continues to be used by the community.

Orangeville Transit’s operating cost in 2024-25 was about $825,000. The service cost about $770,000 in 2025.

“So they’re a little bit lower in the operating costs partly due to the route changes,” said Tim Kocialek, the town’s infrastructure services general manager.

The service was scaled back from a three-route bus service to a pair of routes.

The cost per rider in 2024 was about $3.35, and that increased to about $4 per rider the following year, Kocialek said.

These are uncertain economic times, Andrews said. And diesel users have been hit particularly hard at the fuel pumps. But costs will rise across the board, he said.

Orangeville Transit’s free-fare rides are a benefit to residents that many other municipalities don’t have, Andrews said.

Matthew Smith, a local transit advocate, asked whether the ridership numbers are available, broken down by month in 2025. And he asked if the average ridership number is available “per trip.” Are the buses at full capacity, half-filled, or something like 10 per cent?

“That might factor into future bus purchases,” he said. “Maybe we don’t need to spend $1.3 million on new buses when we could get something smaller that’s built off a Ford F550 frame for, say, $400,000 and it can fit 24, 18 people.”

Kocialek said he will investigate to see if the town has monthly ridership information.

He said the town tried to get 30-foot buses. Two were purchased for about $400,000 each as Smith suggested, but the company went bankrupt.

“At the time, they were the only bidder on it,” Kocialek said. “The town didn’t lose any money on it. We hadn’t given a deposit or anything.”

Orangeville and Metrolinx attempted a joint procurement of 30-foot and 40-foot buses, he said. There were no bidders for the 30-foot option.

Kocialek said there’s limited production on 30-foot buses. The 40-foot vehicles are more “solid” and of heavier frames that can withstand more kilometres.

“I don’t think we have the details (of) exactly how many people are on the bus at all times,” he said. “I know at our peaks, it’s standing room only on some of the buses.”

He said the town will consider installing passenger counters on new buses.

Coun. Rick Stevens, chairperson of the Access Orangeville committee, said he’s heard from many people that the walk from some bus stops to some shopping centres is long.

Kocialek said buses haven’t gone to some locations, such as the Zehrs grocery store, for four or five years. Returning to the former routes will create access difficulties and lengthen riders’ trips.

Riders who were polled said they wanted a reliable service. Delays of five or 10 minutes due to traffic in some of the shopping areas would be unacceptable, he said.

“We’re trying to look at some of the options to make it better,” Kocialek said. “But we won’t be able to go into all of the facilities with the buses, unfortunately.”

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