Study Background

Public transit in Peterborough is undergoing major changes. Over the past 10 years, transit service has increased by 20% with ridership increasing by over 40%. At the same time, the city’s population has grown by about 4%, or about a tenth of the ridership growth rate. Looking forward, the city’s population is projected to grow over 35% by 2041. This will increase the demand for more and improved transit service.   

A significant portion of the growth in Peterborough is occurring further from the downtown with residential development in the northwest and industrial development in the south. Trent University and Fleming College, two important destinations in the city are also located far from the downtown core. With the current pattern of all the transit routes originating in the downtown, extending service to the outlying areas of Peterborough will be challenging. Changes to the route network and service levels will be required. In addition, the downtown transit hub has reached its capacity and will need to be expanded or relocated to accommodate any service improvements.

The 2012 Comprehensive Transportation Plan set a goal of increasing the share of all transportation trips taken by transit from today’s 4.3% to 6% by 2021.  While transit use has been growing, the change in the share of trips taken by transit has not increased significantly, indicating that the transit service is not meeting the needs of the community. To achieve the 6% target, a comprehensive plan for improving and investing in public transit is required.

This study will help determine how the City transit services should best respond to the future needs of the city,  and to achieve an increase in the share of trips taken by transit.

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The Transit Route Review will assess how transit services and the route network should change in the near term to improve travel times and provide better connections to destinations.

The route review will:

• Assess the performance of Peterborough Transit based on a peer review of other similar communities;
• Analyze the travel patterns and needs of the community to re-structure the route network;
• Critically analyze the transit system and each route in detail to identify service gaps, unmet needs and opportunities for improvement;
• Develop and evaluate route network alternatives designed to improve connectivity and respond to unmet needs and travel patterns; and
• Recommend the most appropriate transit route network together with a service plan and multi-year estimate of resource and financial requirements.

The Peterborough 2012 Comprehensive Transportation Strategy identified a vision and long term goals for the city’s transportation system. One major goal for the transit system was to increase the share of trips being made by transit from 4.3% to 6%.

The long-term transit growth strategy will identify key actions that the City can take to achieve its goals for transit. It will include long-term route network recommendations, required investment, and a recommended phasing plan. To identify the capital investments and operating improvements needed, the long-term transit growth strategy will test a variety of route network scenarios to identify the best options for meeting the City’s long term transit goals.

The downtown transit terminal was constructed in 1974, and was initially designed for smaller buses serving fewer transit trips than the system carries today. The terminal in its current configuration is not suited to today’s operating environment.

The Downtown Transit Hub Plan will review and evaluate candidate sites for the hub along with concept plans and identify the most suitable location and design for a downtown terminal.