A record number of trips were completed with Innisfil Transit in 2023.
Users of the Town of Innisfil’s on-demand transit partnership with Uber took 132,530 trips last year, an increase of 40 per cent from 94.902 in 2022.
That’s an increase of more than 400 per cent since the service started in 2017, and the first time it has reach more than 100,000 trips since 2019.
Innisfil Transit served 7,169 riders in 2023, the highest total of riders since 2019 when a record of 9,500 used the system.
The town paid about $10.56 per trip to subsidize the program in 2023, up 21 per cent from the roughly $8.70 paid per trip in 2022.
The total subsidy hit seven figures for the first time last year, with a total cost of $1.4 million. This exceeded the budget for the program, which had been set at $928,000.
That’s an increase of more than 830 per cent since the program’s launch in 2017, which gave pause to Deputy Mayor Kenneth Fowler. Town planning manager Brandon Correia assured him council should be comfortable with the numbers.
“The subsidy of $1.4 million is proportionally very similar and within our tolerance,” he told councillors at their June 26 meeting. “The service is being well utilized and with that comes pressure on our subsidy and ultimately our costs.”
Correia noted the town’s designated transit hubs, such as Barrie South GO and various community centres, which have the highest subsidy rate, are being increasingly used by residents.
The budget for 2024’s subsidy is slightly more than $1 million.
The completion rate was above 90 per cent for the first time in 2023, raising 18 points from 2022. A record number of drivers were also part of the program last year, with 6,696 being recorded. The average wait time for a ride was five minutes and 20 seconds, the second lowest in Innisfil Transit’s seven-year history.
“Overall, the services provided through the Uber partnership continue to perform reasonably well and remain generally consistent with the data previously presented to Council throughout the partnership,” the staff report to council indicated. “However, some challenges in the services have resulted in increased customer service inquiries regarding teen accounts and monthly ride counters not resetting. Staff continue to collaborate with Uber on responding to these inquiries to provide timely responses and resolutions.”
The staff report also provided an update on the voucher program launched to improve transit service to Cookstown and Friday Harbour. Since February, when the eight-month pilot was launched, approximately 250 trips have been taken using the voucher program, with ridership increasing in May and expected to rise over the summer.
The partnership with Uber was renewed for another year, as has been the precedent set throughout the partnership. Its long-term future, however, remains unclear.
Later this year, the town is expected to initiate a Transit Master Plan. One of the key deliverables of this project will be a transit survey to determine just what the community wants from its transit system as the town continues to grow.
“The preparation ... will ultimately articulate the evolution of Innisfil Transit, including both conventional and accessible service, over the next 10 years,” the staff report stated. ”Through careful consideration of asset management, administration, service delivery, trip booking, and customer service, the Transit Master Plan will recommend how to scale up the current service alongside continued population growth, the development of the Orbit, and the future Innisfil GO Station.”
