April bus route changes include the busy 88

On April 27, OC Transpo will be making several changes to bus routes to improve transportation around the city.

The program, called New Ways to Bus, will make changes to more than 100 routes as part of OC Transpo’s five-year roadmap. The changes will focus on frequency, local service in neighbourhoods and connections to key destinations, according to OC Transpo’s website.

This will include changes to the busy Route 88.

“It’s written in every bus, but I wish I had an email,” said Vanshika Vanshika, a student studying computer programming at Algonquin College. “I have no idea how it is going to change.”

Route 88 will be getting a new symbol, a blue hexagon for frequent routes, replacing the blue circle for rapid routes. Frequent routes will be every 15 minutes or less from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays and run seven days a week along main roads.

Godwin Biju, a student taking the development social worker program at Algonquin College, is hoping that these changes will be for the better.

“The buses would always be late or get cancelled sometimes. If I needed to be somewhere at a certain time, the bus would never be there. More buses and less stops could make transportation much smoother,” said Biju.

According to OC Transpo’s website, Route 88 “will be changed to run between Bayshore and Hurdman stations. It will be changed to run from Queensway-Carleton Hospital on John Sutherland Drive, Richmond Road, and Holly Acres Road. Service west of Queensway-Carleton Hospital will be removed and replaced by a new Route 68. Special Sunday trips to and from Preston Street or Carling Avenue will be removed.”

Route 88 will have two O-Train connections: Hurdman Station and Mooney’s Bay Station.

Cosmo Welch, a student studying illustration and concept art at Algonquin College, is no stranger the frustrating experiences with the old Route 88.

“I take it all the way to Hurdman, about a half hour, and then another hour before I am home,” said Welch. “It’s awful to be on because it is so busy, and there aren’t enough buses.”

“I’m looking forward to it hopefully changing for the better,” said Welch.