Small step

A Deseronto Transit bus ran a regular service to the meat plant in Wellington until it was destroyed by fire in 2009.

Council removes obstacle to bus service in the County 

Ascheduled Deseronto Transit (DTS) bus travels in and out of the County twice daily—picking up passengers in Picton with stops at the CrystalPalace, MacaulayVillage, Metro food store, and in Bloomfield at the post office. The bus then proceeds to Belleville where passengers may get off. It reverses this trip later in the day.

Under existing rules, DTS is not permitted to pick up and drop off within the County. This means that a young person living in Bloomfield with a job in Rossmore may not use the service, even though the bus drives by his or her door. Similarly, folks in MacaulayVillage have been prohibited from using the bus service to get to appointments or jobs in Picton, despite the fact a bus goes by each day.

A committee of council finally acted to remove this obstacle last week. When ratified by council, DTS will at last be permitted to provide intra-County service— both picking up and dropping off passengers anywhere along its route within the County.

For the first time in years, Picton, Bloomfield, and Rossmore are being connected by a scheduled bus service— available to anyone along the route.

For those promoting the move, it is just a first step.

“It is a small change,” said Neil Carbone, Community Development chief. “But our hope is that it will expand. This is an initial step, with no cost to the County.”

He noted that this initiative was being propelled by local support agencies such as the Prince Edward Learning Centre and the County Community Foundation, which has established a working group to improve transit options—an initiative prompted by its Vital Signs report presented last fall.

Council eagerly jumped on board—overcoming previous squeamishness about the fate of the County’s taxi companies in the face of competition from a bus service.

“It’s long overdue,” said Hillier councillor Alec Lunn.

Picton councillor Brian Marisett urged his colleagues not to be satisfied with this minor step—to push for more extensive routes and an expanded schedule.

Marisett persuaded his fellow council members to direct staff to find money in next year’s budget and prepare a proposal about expanding the bus service.

“We’ve known the need exists for a long time,” said Marisett. “Especially among our young people. We’ve been dragging our feet. It’s time to get on with it.”

Athol councillor Jamie Forrester suggested the service be extended down to Sandbanks provincial park. Carbone said this was being discussed by the working group as a means to attract park visitors into the shops, restaurants and services in Picton or Bloomfield.

He noted that there was a great deal of interest in extending bus service to Wellington as well. DTS official Susan Stolarchuk said her not-for-profit organization was willing to help, but would need financial support from the municipality and council to do so.

Permitting DTS to both pick up and drop off passengers within the County was a small step, but took several years to achieve. The next step—financial support—could be a bigger hurdle.

The Community Foundation believes it has momentum and data on its side.