Aurora transit users cheer new bus shelter coming to Stop #5610 in 2023

Seniors, shoppers and Walmart employees had been hoping for seating and protection

Yorkregion.com
Jan. 11, 2023
Melissa Wallace

Every Saturday, longtime friends and seniors Carol Morin and Cheryl Hannam take the bus from their Mill Street building to pick up groceries from the Walmart Supercentre in Aurora.

Dressed warmly and pushing their bundle buggies, the friends enjoy the routine and independence of taking the bus from home, getting to know the drivers and fellow passengers, having lunch and shopping for as long as they please.

But waiting for the bus ride back at First Commerce Drive Stop #5610 is another story.

“That corner is the coldest, windiest place there is,” said Hannam. “We have had so many people stop and ask us if they can drive us somewhere, but our bundle buggies are full of groceries, so you can't get into somebody's car like that and so we suffer it.”

Their friend, Susan Merrikin, who used to join them on Walmart trips prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, described the experience in one word: “Wicked.”

“You're standing there waiting for a bus and the wind is just whipping around and it's terrible,” she said. “It’s one thing to be there in the summertime, but winter, it's a dreadful spot to wait for the bus.”

Shayne Waugh has been working at Walmart since 2014. As a stocking associate on his feet from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m., five days a week, having a place to sit for the bus ride home would make a big difference.

“The bus doesn’t show up until around 7:30 a.m., so my co-workers and I can be standing there for up to a half-hour after our shift in the cold,” he said. “Having something to shelter us from the wind or rain would be a huge improvement.”

In an act of desperation, Morin asked for help on social media, unsure of what to do. She had tried to get a shelter installed in the past to no avail. With a hearing impairment and mobility issues, she wrote, “It is starting to get quite cold out there and there is no shelter from the wind ... Anybody's help would be appreciated.”

In speaking with York Region Transit (YRT), requests to set up a shelter are assessed on an individual basis through a two-step process. The first requirement is to determine the number of customers that board the bus at the particular bus stop on a daily basis, with the requirement being a minimum average of 20 passenger boardings per day. If the minimum boarding requirements are met, the process moves to the second stage, where a demographic and environmental assessment is completed.

“YRT has reviewed the bus stop history and ridership data and this bus stop does not currently meet the ridership warrant criteria for a bus shelter; however, taking into account other environmental factors and growth in the area, we will be able to accommodate this request by reallocating a shelter that is no longer required at another location as a result of updating amenities at that location,” said Kyle Catney, director of transit operations. “We plan to install a shelter at First Commerce Drive, stop 5610, prior to the end of January 2023, once the shelter becomes available.”

The transit shelter will be installed along with a standard two-seat bench within the interior of the shelter.

Upon hearing the news, Morin expressed appreciation and excitement for the year ahead. She and many others can now look forward to a future, sheltered transit experience.