Sarnia's Mayor is calling a proposed community bus pilot project an "innovative idea."
Mike Bradley said city council is being asked to approve its implementation on Monday.
"It deals with some of the concerns over the years with Care-A-Van, which is an excellent service, but you've got to book it two days in advance and sometimes it's at peak capacity," said Bradley. "In this case, this would be a more flexible opportunity -- for not just seniors, for people with mobility constraints -- [that's] open to everyone. It makes more opportunities for people to get around the community. It will be a test project for us for about six months or so."
If approved, the bus will operate on a scheduled one-hour round trip route and stops will be identified with a new green "Community Bus" sign.
"It will have special stops; Marshall Gowland Manor, March of Dimes, shopping areas and healthcare facilities," said Bradley. "So, it's going to be a test and I think it's a good test to try and see if we can give better service to people who need it."
Superstore, Metro Plaza, Lambton Mall, Walmart and Northgate Plaza are among the popular shopping areas included in the route.
The bus would also connect riders to New Beginnings, the Strangway Centre and the Lambton Shared Services Centre.
"It is Monday to Friday. It's an opportunity to see if there's a market there for this and based on concerns I've heard over the years I think there is. But, it is flexible and gives people a better chance of getting service immediately than waiting for Care-A-Van, which, how do you plan your life sometimes two days out figuring out what [you're] going to do on that day, if you need the Care-A-Van service. So, it's an addition. It doesn't replace Care-A-Van, but it's innovative and I think will be most welcome by the consumer."
Bradley said the pilot would help the city continue its effort to reinvent the transit system.
"There's been some excellent progress over the last number of years which we've got it, I think, to a very customer service based business, and this is part of those customer service based opportunities," he said.