Parent | Regional Municipality of Niagara |
---|---|
Founded | 12 September 2011 |
Headquarters | 1815 Sir Isaac Brock Way, Thorold, ON, Canada |
Locale | Niagara Region |
Service area | Fort Erie, Niagara Falls, Port Colborne, St. Catharines, Thorold, Welland |
Service type | Bus service, paratransit |
Alliance | Niagara Falls Transit St. Catharines Transit Welland Transit Fort Erie Transit |
Routes | approximately 8 |
Hubs | Welland Transit Terminal St. Catharines Transit Terminal Niagara Falls Transit Morrison-Dorchester Hub Brock University Niagara College Welland and Niagara-on-the-Lake campuses |
Fleet | 15 buses, ranging from 40-60 feet in length |
Fuel type | Diesel, HEV |
Operator | Niagara Region |
Website | Niagara Region Transit |
Niagara Region Transit is a regional public transit system operating in the Niagara Region of Ontario. Initial service commenced on September 12, 2011 and consisted of inter-municipal routes. In January 2023, Niagara Region Transit assumed the operations of Welland Transit, Fort Erie Transit, St. Catharines Transit, and Niagara Falls Transit to form a single unified local transit service for the entire Niagara Region. [1]
Service commenced the morning of September 12, 2011, and costs $6 per intercity trip, including transfer between two local municipal transit services. The service cost $5 for the first six months. [2] [3]
A regional paratransit service, Niagara Specialized Transit, has been in operation since November 2006 and operated by Canadian Red Cross.
In August 2020, a two-year pilot was launched to provide on-demand service for Grimsby, Lincoln, Pelham, Wainfleet and West Lincoln. [4]
Prior to the creation of Niagara Region Transit, inter-municipal transit in the Niagara Region was provided exclusively by local transit agencies which provided inconsistent services between local municipalities such as Welland Transit which operated a "link" route between Welland and Thorold or Niagara Falls Transit which operated a similar route between Fort Erie and Niagara Falls. On September 12, 2011, Niagara Region Transit began operating a network of 3 routes providing service between Welland, St. Catharines, and Niagara Falls as a temporary pilot project. This plan also included additional funding for existing link services between Niagara Falls and Fort Erie in addition to Welland and Port Colborne. [3] This marked the first time since 1959 that a single transit agency was providing inter-municipal transit service across Niagara.
In March 2017, Niagara's Transportation Master Plan identified a lack of integrated regional transit as being one of the main obstacles preventing regular GO Train service to St. Catharines and Niagara Falls. [5] The master plan proposed merging the services and operations of the region's three largest transit agencies (St. Catharines Transit, Niagara Falls Transit, and Welland Transit) into those of Niagara Region Transit. In December 2021, the plan was approved by the required triple majority as it was supported by a majority of Niagara's municipalities representing a majority of the regional population. [5]
On January 1st, 2023, Niagara Region Transit began operating local transit services in St Catharines, Niagara Falls, and Welland. Services remained largely unchanged with the exception of extended service hours and changes to the fare structure. [1] Although local transit agencies transferred their fleets to Niagara Region Transit, most of the buses continue to use the livery of their respective former local transit agency.
Routes were updated as of September, 2018. [6]
Regular Routes | |||
---|---|---|---|
Route Number or Name | Terminals | Other Areas Served | |
40 St. Catharines 45 Niagara Falls | Niagara Falls Morrison & Dorchester/St. Catharines Bus Terminal | Niagara College NOTL Campus, Outlet Collection at Niagara, YMCA St. Catharines, Fairview Mall | |
40A Niagara College Glendale Campus 45A Niagara Falls | Niagara Falls Morrison & Dorchester/Niagara College NOTL Campus | (Runs express) | |
50 St. Catharines 55 Niagara Falls | Niagara Falls Morrison & Dorchester/St. Catharines Bus Terminal | Thorold Stone Road corridor (Niagara Falls), Downtown Thorold, Brock University, The Pen Centre | |
60 Welland 65 Niagara Falls | Niagara Falls Morrison & Dorchester/Niagara College Welland Campus | Niagara Square, Lundy's Lane (connection with WeGo Red Line), Welland Terminal | |
60A Niagara College Welland Campus 65A Niagara Falls | Niagara Falls Morrison & Dorchester/Niagara College Welland Campus | (Runs express) | |
70 Welland 75 St. Catharines | St. Catharines Bus Terminal/Welland Bus Terminal | The Pen Centre, Brock University, Niagara College Welland Campus, Seaway Mall | |
22 Fort Erie Link | Niagara Falls Morrison & Dorchester/Fort Erie LeisurePlex | ||
25 Port Colborne Link | Welland Bus Terminal/Port Colborne City Hall |
All NRT buses are equipped with bike racks.
Fleet | |||
---|---|---|---|
Model | Operator | Fleet No. | |
Daimler Buses North America Orion VII Next Generation | Niagara Falls Transit | 2190 to 2192 | |
New Flyer Industries Xcelsior XD40 | Welland Transit, St Catharines Transit | 1140 to 1142, 1150 and 1151 | |
Novabus LFS Generation 4 | Welland Transit St. Catharines Transit Niagara Falls Transit | Welland units 1850, 1950-51 other units unknown | |
New Flyer Industries D60LFR | Niagara Falls Transit | unit 2830 (now retired and replaced by multiple Novabus units) |
As of February 2023, the vast majority of Niagara Region Transit's fleet that was acquired from Welland Transit, Niagara Falls Transit, and St. Catharines Transit has yet to be converted to the new livery and so the buses continue to use their respective former local transit agency's livery.
Niagara Falls is a city in Ontario, Canada. It is on the western bank of the Niagara River in the Golden Horseshoe region of Southern Ontario, with a population of 94,415 at the 2021 census. It is part of the St. Catharines - Niagara Census Metropolitan Area (CMA). Incorporated on 12 June 1903, the city is across the river from Niagara Falls, New York. The Niagara River flows over Niagara Falls at this location, creating a natural spectacle which attracts millions of tourists each year.
St. Catharines is the most populous city in Canada's Niagara Region, the eighth largest urban area in the province of Ontario. As of 2017, St. Catharines has an area of 96.13 square kilometres (37.12 sq mi) and 140,370 residents. It lies in Southern Ontario, 51 kilometres (32 mi) south of Toronto across Lake Ontario, and is 19 kilometres (12 mi) inland from the international boundary with the United States along the Niagara River. It is the northern entrance of the Welland Canal. Residents of St. Catharines are known as St. Catharinites. St. Catharines carries the official nickname "The Garden City" due to its 1,000 acres (4 km2) of parks, gardens, and trails.
Welland is a city in the Regional Municipality of Niagara in Southern Ontario, Canada. As of 2021, it had a population of 55,750.
Fort Erie is a town on the Niagara River in Niagara Region, Ontario, Canada. It is directly across the river from Buffalo, New York, and is the site of Old Fort Erie which played a prominent role in the War of 1812.
The Niagara Peninsula is an area of land lying between the southwestern shore of Lake Ontario and the northeastern shore of Lake Erie, in Ontario, Canada. Technically an isthmus rather than a peninsula, it stretches from the Niagara River in the east to Hamilton, Ontario, in the west. The peninsula is located in the Golden Horseshoe region of Southern Ontario, and has a population of roughly 1,000,000 residents. The region directly across the Niagara River and Lake Erie in New York State is known as the Niagara Frontier.
The Regional Municipality of Niagara, also colloquially known as the Niagara Region or Region of Niagara, is a regional municipality comprising twelve municipalities of Southern Ontario, Canada. The regional seat is in Thorold. It is the southern end of the Golden Horseshoe, the largest megalopolis in Canada.
Chippawa is a community located within the city of Niagara Falls, Ontario.
The Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority (NFTA) is the public agency responsible for operating most public transportation services in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The NFTA, as an authority, oversees a number of subsidiaries, including the NFTA Metro bus and rail system, the Buffalo-Niagara International Airport, the Niagara Falls International Airport and NFTA Small Boat Harbor. The NFTA Metro bus and rail system is a multi-modal agency, utilizing various vehicle modes, using the brand names: NFTA Metro Bus, NFTA Metro Rail, NFTA Metrolink and NFTA PAL. In 2022, the system had a ridership of 14,061,700 or about 54,000 per weekday as of the third quarter of 2023. In addition, the NFTA also owns and manages a number of properties, including the Buffalo Metropolitan Transportation Center in Downtown Buffalo ; the Niagara Falls Transportation Center on Factory Outlet Boulevard; the Portage Road Transit Center in Niagara Falls; and a number of strategically located bus loops and transit centers in the Buffalo Niagara region. Of note, many of the bus loops have been in continuous operation since the days of the International Railway Company, a predecessor to the NFTA. Agency-wide, the NFTA employs 1,500 full-time and part-time employees. There are three business centers that operate as the NFTA organization: Surface Transportation, which handles ground transportation throughout Erie and Niagara counties, Aviation, which handles air related business at the Buffalo-Niagara International Airport and Niagara Falls International Airport and Property Risk/Management, which operates the NFTA-Boat Harbor and handles other properties that are owned and/or operated by the NFTA.
Lakeshore West is one of the seven train lines of the GO Transit system in the Greater Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada. It extends from Union Station in Toronto to Hamilton, along the shore of Lake Ontario. Some train trips extend past Hamilton to St. Catharines and Niagara Falls.
Niagara Centre is a federal electoral district in the Niagara Region of Ontario that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1867 to 1988 and since 1997.
A tourist trolley, also called a road trolley, is a rubber-tired bus designed to resemble an old-style streetcar or tram, usually with false clerestory roof. The vehicles are usually fueled by diesel, or sometimes compressed natural gas.
St. Catharines station is a railway station in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada. It is served by the Maple Leaf train between Toronto and New York City and is a stop on the Lakeshore West line of GO Transit. The station is a designated Heritage Railway Station.
Niagara Falls Transit was a public transit agency that operated the public transport bus services in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada between 1960 and 2022.
St. Catharines Transit (SCT) was a public transit agency which provided bus services to St. Catharines, Ontario, and the neighbouring city of Thorold. The St. Catharines Transit Commission took over operation of transit services within the city from Canadian National Transportation in 1961. In January 2023, St. Catharines Transit was merged with Niagara Falls Transit, Welland Transit, and Fort Erie Transit to form a single regional transit service, Niagara Region Transit.
Welland Transit was a public transportation agency in Welland, Ontario, Canada from 1977 to 2022. Upon its inception in 1973 the bus service was operated by a private company, known as "Metro Niagara Transit," funded by the city of Welland, which assumed full operation of the transit system in 1977. On January 1st, 2023, it was merged with St. Catharines Transit and Niagara Falls Transit to form Niagara Region Transit.
Fort Erie Transit used to provide local accessible bus service to the inhabitants of Fort Erie, Ontario, Canada, just across the Peace Bridge and the Niagara River from Buffalo, New York.
Niagara-on-the-Lake Transit was a provider of public transportation in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada. Initiated on April 2, 2012, it served as a conventional bus operator serving both local residents and tourists. The service was suspended in April 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
WEGO Visitor Transportation System (WEGO) is a bus system in Niagara Falls, Ontario jointly operated by Niagara Region Transit and the Niagara Parks Commission. It replaced Niagara Falls Transit's Falls Shuttle, as well as the Niagara Parks Commission People Mover. Originally scheduled to launch on June 29, 2012, the service's inauguration was postponed due to delays in its buses' intelligent transportation system. WEGO launched its preview service on August 13, 2012, then finally began official operations, a week later, on August 20. WEGO is a pairing of the words "we" and "go". WEGO is not an acronym for anything, however.
Grimsby GO Station is a proposed commuter rail station on the GO Transit train and bus network in Southern Ontario, Canada. Located in the town of Grimsby in the Regional Municipality of Niagara, it would be a stop on the Lakeshore West line, east of the proposed Confederation GO Station in Hamilton. It was expected to open in 2021 and would have been the first station to open in the planned Niagara extension, which will also include stops at St. Catharines and Niagara Falls stations.
Elections were held in the Niagara Region of Ontario on October 24, 2022, in conjunction with municipal elections across the province.