CORNWALL – The head of Cornwall Transit says the latest government announcement of new money for the service is “really big.”
The Ontario and federal governments announced $410,901 last week for the City of Cornwall as part of a $505 million new aid package as part of the fourth phase of the Safe Restart Agreement (SRA).
The money will cover pandemic related setbacks and expenses from Feb. 1 until the end of the year.
“We’ve been waiting for this great announcement. It’s an early Christmas present for all transits in Ontario,” Division Manager Jean Marcil said in an interview with Cornwall Newswatch.
Marcil says the omicron wave in the early months of 2022 really set the service back in terms of ridership.
With college students now riding the bus as of September, Marcil says numbers have been returning to almost normal.
Marcil says, unlike other funding programs, SRA will allow them to cover the cost of personal protective equipment for passengers and drivers.
Cornwall was among 107 municipalities to receive money is this latest round of the SRA
As for the new fare boxes and touchless payment, Marcil says they “haven’t had too many hiccups” but it’s too early to figure out whether it’s contributing to new ridership. The new systems went into place last month.