DavidW Posted September 28, 2011 Report Share Posted September 28, 2011 Transit service in Norfolk County starts October 11, 2011. Service runs five days a week in Simcoe and on an alternating schedule connecting Simcoe with the other population centres in the municipality: Simcoe to Waterford: Mondays Simcoe to Delhi: Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays Simcoe to Port Rowan: Tuesdays and Thursdays Simcoe to Port Dover: Wednesdays, Fridays Launch article in the Simcoe Reformer 27 Sep 2011. Operating contract given to Sharp Bus Lines: Simcoe Reformer 21 Sep 2011. Website: www.ridenorfolk.ca. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidW Posted September 28, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 28, 2011 According to the 2006 Census the population of Norfolk County was 62,563. If it were a compact urban centre that would be plenty to make a transit system successful. It will be interesting to see how this goes for a hybrid municipality like Norfolk County. I think technically it's a city called "Norfolk County". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seashore_518203 Posted September 29, 2011 Report Share Posted September 29, 2011 Interesting stuff ... at least it will give people an option to take transit to Port Dover on Friday the 13th, rather than taking your Harley. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seashore_518203 Posted November 19, 2011 Report Share Posted November 19, 2011 I had a chance to go to Simcoe today to get photos of Ride Norfolk. Simcoe is the biggest town in Norfolk County and has service five days a week. Other towns in the County only have service on selected days of the week. Contrary to the image on the website, the bus is a Ford E-450 cutaway with a Bluebird school bus type body. As stated earlier, it appears that the bus is owned by Sharp Bus Lines and it has been wrapped for the town service. The Sprinter van image on the website is apparently the creation of the marketing company that designed the website/logo for them. Bus 323 is the primary vehicle for the service. When it is not available, one of Sharp's other cutaways in standard school bus orange does the duties. According to the driver, ridership is "OK" and I actually saw a few people using the service while I was in town. Even though it was tempting, I did not go for a ride on "Ride Norfolk". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bus_Medic Posted November 19, 2011 Report Share Posted November 19, 2011 I remember many fond days in the area, my grandparents are from there. I wish them the best. On an unrelated note, the f7 cab now in the Toronto roundhouse came from Waterford. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G.A Posted November 19, 2011 Report Share Posted November 19, 2011 Looks identical to a Niagara Region Transit bus. So there's no dodge sprinter I take it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris W Posted November 19, 2011 Report Share Posted November 19, 2011 The cutaway is a Blue Bird Micro Bird. It seems the Sprinter is a tad misleading and unnecessary. The Wiki has now been changed to reflect this. Kevin, may I please use the photo for the Wiki? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seashore_518203 Posted November 19, 2011 Report Share Posted November 19, 2011 Looks identical to a Niagara Region Transit bus. So there's no dodge sprinter I take it? There is no Dodge Sprinter, according to the driver. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidW Posted November 23, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 23, 2012 Ridership numbers for RideNorfolk don't look too great... "Ride Norfolk Headed for the Ditch?" Simcoe Reformer 21 November 2012. The service ... is averaging about 16 fares a day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris W Posted November 26, 2012 Report Share Posted November 26, 2012 Oh boy. This review of the service doesn't sound or look promising. Two hours between destinations? No wonder there's problems. I've got to get down there soon to try the system out for myself. http://www.tillsonburgnews.com/2012/01/09/going-for-a-ride-aboard-ride-norfolk-bus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G.A Posted November 26, 2012 Report Share Posted November 26, 2012 for all those routes there is another bus right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
armorand Posted November 28, 2012 Report Share Posted November 28, 2012 Why dont they just service Simcoe and Port Dover only? That, with the better frequencies and population base, would be alot better than 8 riders a day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris W Posted January 3, 2013 Report Share Posted January 3, 2013 Some news from our friends at RideNorfolk. They seem to have obtained a "new bus". Under further review, it seems they bought an ex-Chatham paratransit Champion Challenger cutaway. I asked the company on its Facebook page if this was an expansion or a replacement unit for bus 323. At the time of this post, I have got no answer. And Kevin's photo of 323, which was used by them on their page seems to have disappeared as well. I'll get more confirmation on this shortly. http://www.ridenorfolk.ca/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G.A Posted January 4, 2013 Report Share Posted January 4, 2013 ^^ Seems its not ran by Sharp anymore as well. Maybe there was a switch in contract. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris W Posted January 7, 2013 Report Share Posted January 7, 2013 As a matter of fact, there was a switch in contractors. This is what my response was from RideNorfolk on their Facebook page. The bus is ex CK Transit 682. It has been renumbered twice now, from 759 to 89. "Chirs, Ride Norfolk has switched contractors for 2013. This bus is the new bus supplied by Donnelly Transportation" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris W Posted May 31, 2013 Report Share Posted May 31, 2013 For those that remember, Port Dover actually had a means of transportation in the form of a tram-like vehicle powered by a tractor. This vehicle was known as the "Dover Rover" and had, if memory serves me, 20 stops around various parts of the town. Some stops included the Port Dover Marina, Port Dover Harbour, Harbour Museum, Len's Old Mill, and the Coast Guard station among others. This was a shot of the vehicle used, taken by my grandmother in July 2001. My late great-grandmother would always intentionally see if it was in service every time she and I were in town. I got this shot of the Rover today. I thought I would share this with everybody here. If anybody has any more information about this, don't hesitate to mention it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidW Posted May 8, 2014 Author Report Share Posted May 8, 2014 RideNorfolk seems to have struck a cooperative arrangement with three local community service organizations to pool resources and coordinate dispatching to offer demand-responsive transportation in Norfolk County. Boost for bus serviceBy Daniel R. Pearce, Simcoe ReformerThursday, May 8, 2014 8:32:35 EDT AM The article mentions a different fare structure for the service ($0.45/km) so it's not too clear how that would integrate with RideNorfolk's fixed-route flat fares. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidW Posted March 18, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 18, 2015 New summer weekend route for RideNorfolk: South Coast Shuttle service is a goBy Monte Sonnenberg, Simcoe ReformerTuesday, March 17, 2015 9:30:39 EDT PM ... two shuttle buses will run a lakeshore route between Port Dover and Long Point on weekends and holidays this summer. ... The proposed route is about 40 kilometres long. There will be more than 10 stops along the way. Each shuttle is expected to make nine round trips per day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris W Posted March 18, 2015 Report Share Posted March 18, 2015 They would doubtless need another bus for this. When 89 can't be used, they have no spare. As recently as February 20, service was cancelled due to mechanical issues. I admire their dedication but they need to improve their spare ratio to meet demand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidW Posted January 14, 2017 Author Report Share Posted January 14, 2017 Ride Norfolk disruption By Monte Sonnenberg, Simcoe Reformer Thursday, January 12, 2017 6:06:39 EST PM The shuttle bus suspended operations Tuesday [10 January 2017] following a contractual issue with service provider Donnelly Transit of London and St. Thomas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheAverageJoe Posted January 15, 2017 Report Share Posted January 15, 2017 Could be the beginning of the end of Donnelly Transit................. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Transit 20 Posted January 15, 2017 Report Share Posted January 15, 2017 Donnelly Transit web site has been taken down. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G.A Posted January 16, 2017 Report Share Posted January 16, 2017 Sharp Bus Lines is running the service now. Service should be resumed now or next week. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris W Posted January 16, 2017 Report Share Posted January 16, 2017 15 minutes ago, TTC 9701 said: Sharp Bus Lines is running the service now. Service should be resumed now or next week. Should be this week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheAverageJoe Posted January 16, 2017 Report Share Posted January 16, 2017 16 hours ago, TheAverageJoe said: Could be the beginning of the end of Donnelly Transit................. Strike two.......... Aboutown strike one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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