Published Oct 31, 2025 • Last updated 5 minutes ago • 2 minute read

City council will consider the results of a transit optimization study and its recommendations at Monday’s council meeting. Photo by Sault Star /File photo

A review of Sault Ste. Marie transit routes recommends that the on-demand service be discontinued on weekends, replaced with full transit service and implement a new ‘loop service.’

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The report also recommends the expansion of the ‘Home to Hub’ service to Pawating Place and revisit the Sault terminal location in a future budget year.

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City council will receive the report from the optimization study, designed to review the effectiveness of the current transit system and make recommendations for service improvements.

The public wants to see improved frequency between key locations and improved scheduling reliability between day and evening changes.

Transit users were also dissatisfied with the On-Demand service and Parabus clients said the two-week advanced booking system is challenging and priority should be considered for medical appointments.

“The review of the existing network identified several operational and service-related challenges. Current routes prioritize map coverage over directness, resulting in circuitous travel, confusing one-way loops, and reduced reliability. On-time performance is below expectations for a city of this size, compounded by out-of-direction travel and frequent diversions,” the report to city council states.

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The five-phase study, which included a ridership route review, a comparison to industry standards, cost analysis and public engagement, has resulted in some recommendations for service changes.

City council can make minimal tweaks, create Sault Loops to improve connections and shorten routes or create a Sault Spine.

The Sault Lopos would create shorter routes, better connections to key destinations and improve frequency between key destinations and coverage, the report says.

The Sault Spine would redesign the transit system between two central ‘spines’ and require increased investment to maintain coverage. This system would “prioritize route directness with a greater reduction in map coverage” and require significant investment into the system.

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City staff recommend the Sault Loops realignment option. They say it will address multiple issues including reducing the number of kilometres of single-direction operation and removing unnecessary deviations from main roads. It would have the least impact on the population served within a 400-metre walking distance.

Staff also recommend “offset” terminal departures to reduce waiting time between service and re-implement fixed-route service on weekends with the increased usage.

The report suggests that a taxi-subsidized service be provided to Pawating Place in addition to the community bus to connect people to the Northern Transfer Hub, similar to the current McQueen Subdivision service.

It’s also suggested that the existing parabus booking and routing software be examined, fare structures be reviewed, and the transit terminal relocation be reviewed again.

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If council chooses to implement the changes, most of the operational implementation costs can be covered by the unused portion of money approved for the study ($28,470).

The new route changes would reduce annual operating costs by $103,000 but improving the evening service would require an additional $118,000, making the changes almost neutral. The Home-to-Hub model would cost an additional $67,000 and the Sunday evening one-directional service would cost about $18,000.

Transit reviews are recommended every five years to adapt to ridership changes and optimize service delivery.

The last study was completed in 2018 and included the creation of the Northern Transfer Hub.

City council meets Monday at 5 p.m.

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