What is Rideshare?

Image

 Rideshare is a transportation option that uses smartphone technology and a fleet of dedicated vehicles to provide trips within the service boundaries with no fixed schedules or routes.

 Your fare allows you to travel from your location to the pre-set destination you select when you book your ride. This is a flat fee service; the price will never increase based on your location or service area.

• $3 for trips within Niagara-on-the-Lake
• $6 for trips to other communities (available to residents of Niagara-on-the-Lake, Grimsby, Lincoln, Pelham, Wainfleet and West Lincoln)

OnDemand riders arriving at any of our three transit hubs can transfer onto Regional or local transit to complete their trip.

For example, a rider can board an OnDemand vehicle in Grimsby, transfer to a Niagara Region Transit bus at the St. Catharines Bus Terminal, and travel to the Outlet Collection at Niagara, all for just the one Regional fare.

• Fares for local trips within Niagara-on-the-Lake
• Fares for trips between Municipalities
• Booking your trip
• Connecting to conventional transit
• Using a transfer
• Car seat policy
• Accessibility and Support Person Pass
• Partnership with Via Mobility
• Specialized Transit Application

• NRT OnDemand operates year-round.
• Monday to Saturday: 7 a.m. - 10 p.m.
• Sunday: Closed
• Holiday Hours

With the sudden onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in early March 2020, the Town's fixed-route transit system began to see decreased ridership as a result of the stay home orders being issued throughout the Region and Province. Subsequent physical distancing measures were instituted, leading the Town to suspend transit services indefinitely as of April 9, 2020. As such, the pandemic and suspension of services have allowed Staff to review the existing transit system and work with the Region and Via Mobility LLC to discuss the possibility of an on-demand system to replace the current conventional fixed-route system.

Not in its previous conventional format. NRT On-Demand Transit is the new transit system in Niagara-on-the-Lake.

Running two systems simultaneously would mean twice the cost for the same area. It is not economically or environmentally desirable or sustainable and it is not Council approved.

Niagara Region provides this service between Niagara-on-the-Lake and Municipalities within the Niagara Region.

Starting January 1, 2023, local transit services amalgamated to form Niagara Region Transit, aiming to improve community connectivity. This change will result in a separate transit levy on property tax bills, with potential reductions to municipal and regional levies to minimize the impact on residential taxpayers. Please click here for more information on the Transit Tax Levy. 

NRT OnDemand is a ride share service that will allow residents to book a ride as needed to anywhere within West Niagara or to select transit hubs outside of West Niagara

 Where can NOTL Residents go with NRT OnDemand?

Riders can book a ride to anywhere in West Niagara including: 

• Lincoln 
• Grimsby 
• Pelham  
• West Lincoln 
• Wainfleet  
• Niagara-on-the-Lake 

Riders can also go to the following transit hub locations outside of West Niagara: 

• St. Catharines bus Terminal 
• Welland Bus terminal 
• Port Colborne Municipal Building site

A local ride within a municipality will cost riders $3.00, any ride that crosses municipal borders will cost $6.00.

Riders can book a trip by downloading the NRT OnDemand app to their smart phones and creating a profile, or by calling the customer service number 289-302-2172

If riders are connecting to traditional transit at one of the bus terminals, the On Demand driver will give the Rider a transfer ticket to use upon boarding the bus. Similarly, if a Rider is connecting to the On Demand service from a bus, the driver of the bus will issue the Rider a transfer ticket.

There are 3 main ticket/pass types available for purchase: 

• 2 ride passes
• 10 ride passes 
• monthly passes

Each of these passes are available as Adult (AD) and Senior/Student (SP) passes and in Local and Regional passes (totalling 12 ticket/pass types). Local passes are for on-demand trips within a municipal boundary, Regional passes are for trips that cross municipal borders. 

Note: 

AD passes = Adults 18+ including post-secondary students 

SP passes = Seniors 65+ and students between 6-17

The cost for each pass can be found in this table: 

Once you download the NRT OnDemand app and set up your account you can then enter in your pick-up and drop-off locations. The app will create a ride proposal and prompt you to confirm by selecting 'Book this ride'. Wait for your ride and check the details, including the vehicle's license plate, driver name and more at the bottom of your screen.

NRT OnDemand is an on demand service. Riders can book a trip up to a maximum of 15 minutes before their departure.

No. Drivers cannot accept any payment including cash fares. All rides must be paid for in advance, by credit card, debit credit, or by pre-purchasing passes available at municipal locations.

The vehicle will pick up riders within a block or two of the pick up location entered or a nearby location / intersection. The average walk to a pick-up or drop-off location is 100 meters. Riders will be informed of the pickup location upon booking their ride.