HSR: When the bus finally comes... and just keeps on going

In transit lingo, it's called a "pass by" a situation where people are waiting at a bus stop,often in the cold,and the bus passes them because there's no space on it.

It plagues Hamilton in increasing numbers. It makes people late for work and school. And all it will take to get rid of it isa few million in tax dollars and a fare increase.

That's the assessment from David Dixon, head of HSR, after a 2016 budget presentation on Monday.

Dixon pitched the $83.3-million ask to city councillorsthat broke down like this:

• $14.1 million for 21 new buses.
• $40 million toward a transit garage.
• $6.2 million for two new terminals.
• $4.4 million for 39 enhanced shelters.
• $13.2 million for new branding of HSR.
• $5.2 million to increase capacity along various transit corridors.

If the city puts 11 new buses on the road this year the remainder of a 25-bus commitment in 2015 and a planned 15-cent fare increase in the fall, Dixon said, then that should largely alleviate pass bys.

The city will nevercompletely eradicate the problem of overflowing buses, Dixon said.

It's becoming a more predominant issue on Upper James.- Coun. Terry Whitehead

But"once we get the final of those 25 buses on the road, then we believe we will largely have addressed those deficiencies."

• Why Hamilton's transit system isn't working for riders or drivers

It was a steep ask for city council, which is juggling where to spend limited tax dollars as part ofbudget deliberations that endthis spring.

But Terry Whitehead, Ward 8 councillor, said full buses passing peopleat stops is a priority.

"It's becoming a more predominant issue on Upper James," he said. And it's "brought a litany of complaints."

City numbers show that pass bys happen most often in the fall. In September 2014, for example, buses passed people 1,777 times because the bus was full. That same month, it passed 396 people with wheelchairs because there wasn't enough space for the wheelchair on the bus.

A year later, the situation had improved, but the numbers were still high. In September 2015, buses passed people 1,194 times. It passed people with wheelchairs 367 times.

The city's target is no more than 500 pass bys per month, or 100 cases involving people with wheelchairs.

The talk comes as the city is in the midst of a 10-year plan to fix and grow HSR. A year ago, Dixon warned that Hamilton's transit system was "untenable."

"They cannot deliver the service they are being asked to deliver," Dixon said then of HSR drivers. "They don't have sufficient run times. The loads are beyond what they're capable of carrying."

Transit improved last year, Dixon said on Monday. This year is the second of two years of fixing what's wrong. Then the focus willshift to developing standards and growing HSR.

The city asked the province for $302million last year to pay for it. Much of that $200 million is for aMountain transit garage. The province granted Hamilton $1 billion for light-rail transit (LRT), due in 2024, but none of the $302 million.

The city still needs a transit garageon the Mountain, Dixon said. Without it, HSR will eventually be "paralyzed."

The city will have to park more buses outside, Dixon said. Eventually, it will even run out of hard outdoor surfaces.Without more space, the city also can'texpand its express bus service to the Mountain.

Dixon gave councillors three transit funding options for 2016. The priciest option included five terminals, 63 shelters and 81 buses. He also presented a bare bones option with no money for enhanced shelters, marketing and rebranding of HSR and increasing capacity in the city's transit corridors.

Councillors will debate it at a future meeting.

As for the fare increase, the cost of an adult single-ticket ride will go from $2.15 now to $2.30 in September.

Has Hamilton's crowded transit system impacted you? Emailhamilton@cbc.ca. We'd love to hear your story.