Solar eclipse drives ridership on inaugural day of inter-community transit

Officials with the new inter-community transit route were pleasantly surprised to see 20 people waiting at White Oaks Mall to take the new bus to St. Thomas, Ont.

The majority of them were heading south to view the solar eclipse.

“St. Thomas is in the path of totality,” said Tiffany Bussey, who took an Uber from downtown London to White Oaks, where she caught the new connection.

“It's the closest city to London where we're from that is in the totality, so we want to be able to see the whole thing without going too far from home,” she said.

Gregory Crossman jumped on board to not only see the eclipse, but also visit St. Thomas for the first time.

“The ride was quick and I wanted to come because it's a once in a lifetime experience, and you won’t get that in London,” said Crossman, who had his radio, and chairs, and was headed to the Elevated Park.

“I checked the phone looking for a possible way to St. Thomas, and saw there is a bus that is $5 each way you can beat that.”

Those involved in getting this route off the ground called this a “dream start.”

The inaugural run of inter-community transit from London to St. Thomas on April 8, 2024, was a full with the majority heading south to see the solar eclipse (Brent Lale/CTV News London)“It’s been a long time coming to get this connection back where we can get to London and connect with their transit system,” said Str. Thomas Mayor Joe Preston. “This is quite a unique thing and we thank Middlesex Connect for putting it together.”

Preston joined other officials on the ceremonial first ride starting at 7:20 a.m. from St. Thomas, and returning two hours later.

While no paying customers were on the first run, bookings picked up throughout the day.

The expectation is that it will continue to grow as riders not only learn about the route, but also recognize the convenience.

“There's demand for this,” said Aina DeViet, warden of Middlesex County, who also went for a ride this morning. “We're really happy about it because it actually is a big partnership between St. Thomas and Middesex County. It's good for the economy. It's good for the public. It's a win-win for everybody.”

Officials hope that eventually the key stops will be in the industrial area.

While they are thrilled about getting people back and forth between the communities, they stress ideally this is about getting people to and from work.

“It's about being on people access to get to the major employers,” says Jason Keillor, vice president of Voyago Transit Ontario.

“We know this whole area is poised for an economic boom. There's going to be lots of industry and this is a first step. This is going to grow. This is going to migrate and it's going to become a much bigger over the years to come,” he added.

The fare for the new inter-community transit from Dorchester to London to St. Thomas is only $5. April 8, 2024. (Brent Lale/CTV News London)For others getting on board from St. Thomas to London, it was about convenience and cost.

“It’s almost $60 for a cab,” said Kenny McMurchy. “I have some appointments to do in London, so going to take care of them. I wish they could have got this sooner, but I know Mayor Preston had to wait for some funding, but now it’s here.”

The service will run four routes daily from Dorchester to London and St. Thomas. Those are subject to change depending on demand.

“Our success has always been in our flexibility, our ability to see what the people need, what did the people want,” said Keillor, who first got involved with discussions with Preston during the Association of Municipalities of Ontario Conference.

“It just seemed so unreal that St. Thomas doesn’t have a link directly to London and Dorchester. We don't want anybody to ever have to worry about how am I going to get from one town to another in Southwestern Ontario? We want to make sure we have a complete network for the future,” Keillor added.