Brock University’s Students’ Union had the ear of local politicians Thursday when it presented the findings of a student transit survey.

The survey was conducted to find out the types of transportation students use, when they use it and whether they are satisfied with the U-Pass program.

Students enrolled in 1.5 credits or more ride buses in St. Catharines, Niagara Falls and Welland for free, with a mandatory fee worked into their tuition.

Spencer Dawson, BUSU Vice-President of Finance and Administration, said BUSU “wants to make sure our students are getting good value.”
The student union is a big proponent of a seamless inter-municipal transit system.

Dawson said inter-municipal transit would help attract GO bus and train service to Niagara, which would benefit Brock and the region.

“To attract people, especially young, professional students to Niagara and Brock, we need a way to get them here,” he said.

He said 3,093 students completed the survey, offering good insight into ridership.

“Most students are using it on weekdays and to get to and from school,” he said.

The most riders are in St. Catharines followed by Thorold, Niagara Falls and Welland.

Just over half of the students who responded use the U-Pass daily and nearly 77 per cent said the program should continue indefinitely.

Antonio Sergi, BUSU Vice-President of External Affairs, said the amount of responses to the survey shows students are engaged and interested in the issue.

He said a key goal of BUSU is to advocate for inter-municipal transit in Niagara Region and to lobby in favour of GO service.

Sergi said BUSU made a presentation to the region’s public works department to inform them of student ridership and expectations. That data, he said, will be included in the Niagara Region Transportation Master Plan.

Regional Chair Alan Caslin said the region has created a task force with the goal of finding the best way to provide an inter-municipal transit system incorporating St. Catharines, Niagara Falls and Welland.

West Lincoln Mayor Doug Joyner told the group he recently rode transit with Dawson and Sergi from Hamilton to Brock. They wanted to see if a student could take a bus from Hamilton to make an 8 a.m. class at the University.

“The answer was absolutely not,” he said.

The exercise has led to brainstorming and pushing for ways to shorten the ride, including looking into the GO bus stop route in St. Catharines, Joyner said.

He said the question of whether the GO bus could stop at Brock before the Fairview Mall and downtown St. Catharines is being asked.

Brian Hutchings, Brock’s Vice-President, Administration, said the survey results match the University’s data, which shows that 70 per cent of the 18,000 students at Brock use public transit.

“We bring in almost 12,000 students from the GTA – living in St. Catharines and Thorold and using public transportation,” he said.

Following the presentation, politicians went on a bus ride-along with the student union representatives.

BUSU said some of the survey feedback included the need for extended weekend bus service, more bus routes, and longer hours of operation.