City council unanimously passes Transit Windsor's 8-year master plan

Windsor city councillorsused a portion of Monday evening's meeting to unanimously pass Transit Windsor's eight-year road masterplan.

The plan has taken approximately 18 months to developand would serve as Transit Windsor's master document until 2028.

"It's a generational transformation we're about to embark on," said Coun. Rino Bortolin as discussion about the plan got underway.

The plan's estimated incremental operating costs total roughly $25.6 million between 2020 and 2025. Additional capital requirements are estimated at $135 million.

Among the goals outlined in the plan is to increase the number of Transit Windsor routes available from 15 to 24.

According to a report authored by Transit Windsor executive director Patrick Delmore, the Rose City's public transportation service provider "faces a potential loss of funding without an updated Transit Master Plan, which provides the direction for transit ridership growth."

"The bulk of the capital and operating needs for the plan are related to the route network and garage facility," reads an excerpt from the report.

Council will vote on approving the plan's funding during 2020 budget deliberations scheduled next week.