Dec. 15 Niagara letters: Greater spending on Niagara transit needed (St. Catharines Standard letter to the editor)

(from https://www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/dec-15-niagara-letters-greater-spending-on-niagara-transit-needed/article_f367ee1f-9f7b-5637-83bc-58a50a5e5f1a.html)

Regionalization of public transit has improved service and more spending is needed, says reader

Letter to the EditorNiagara Dailies

Friday, December 15, 2023

1 min to read

Article was updated Dec 18, 2023

Invest more in transit

Re: Transit a 'pig in a poke,' Letters, Dec. 11

The above is misleading because it suggests Niagara Region Transit's budget is increasing because of hiring staff, and says, “Let taxpayers see the expenses line by line,” when they already can in extensive reports.

Transit should be where we invest more money and expand services.

The letter writer says making transit regional was supposed to improve service. It has. OnDemand reaches places without a regular bus, and co-ordinating between cities saves riders lots of time.

But this is not enough. As a rider told regional council at its Nov. 30 budget meeting, we need to “break out of the cycle of underinvesting to keep the loudest voices happy.”

Instead, council is looking to make dangerous cuts, and the transit commission is looking to cut paratransit and OnDemand, which are used by the most vulnerable people who have no other option.

Saleh Waziruddin