Kingston Transit Ribbon-Cutting to Mark Launch of Montreal St. Express Route

Published on: 2018/05/03 - in News

Kingston Transit will being marking the May 7th launch of its new Montreal St. Express Route along with additional service improvements with a ribbon-cutting ceremony On Friday, May 4.

MP Mark Gerrestsen, MPP Sophie Kiwala and Mayor Bryan Paterson will join with City of Kingston and Kingston Transit staff at 9:30am to begin a 20 minute commute from the Montreal St. Park and Ride to downtown Kingston on the new 801/802 Express Route.

“This new Express Route will allow Montreal St. Park & Ride commuters to reduce their travel times,” said Mayor Bryan Paterson in a release. “The current transit trip from the Montreal St. Park and Ride to Kingston General Hospital takes 35 to 40 minutes. This new, much needed, Express Route will allow KGH staff, patients, and visitors to get to there in less than 25 minutes. That’s fantastic!”

The new route will have buses every 15 minutes during AM/PM peak times at the Montreal St. Park and Ride and running to downtown Kingston, Hotel Dieu Hospital, Kingston General Hospital and Queen’s University. There will be 30 minute service on the route during evenings, weekends, and holidays.

“Kingston Transit has done it again,” Kingston and the Islands MP Mark Gerretsen said. “These service enhancements will provide Kingstonians with increased access to public transit and will expand work and play opportunities in several areas of our great city. People who live north of Kingston will have the new opportunity to Park and Ride at Montreal Street and the 401 and have a stress-free commute to the downtown core.”

Sophie Kiwala, MPP for Kingston and the Islands, called the new Montreal St. express route a great day for Kingstonians.

Kiwala says the enhancements “will significantly enhance public transit service to and from the Montreal Street corridor and will provide people living in Kingston East the opportunity for more service, more often. The enhancements will help to improve access to local businesses and will shorten morning and evening commutes giving families and individuals more time at home with their loved ones.”

A number of Kingston Transit service enhancements have also been made and can be found in Kingston Transit’s May 2018 Ride Guide and online at KingstonTransit.ca/schedules.

According to a release, enhancements include:

  • schedule and map for the new 801/802 Montreal St. Express Route
  • updated 601/602 Highway 15 Express Route schedules noting 10-minute AM/PM peak service and 15-minute midday service and 30-minute evenings, weekends and holiday service
  • updated schedules and maps for routes 1, 2, 7, 12 and 16
  • new layout of the updated Downtown Transfer Point
  • new layout of the updated Bus Terminal Transfer Point.

Kingston Transit has been looking forward to adding these service enhancements for a while now, according to Jeremy DaCosta, Director, Transit and Fleet Services.

DaCosta said that improving the service on each of these routes “will reduce commute times and will allow more passengers to have single seat service without the need to transfer to another bus to complete their trip.”

The new May 2017 Ride Guide with maps for Kingston Transit’s Express and regular service routes can be found on most Kingston Transit buses, or at City Hall and the Cataraqui Centre.

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Photo source (edited): Kingston Transit on Twitter