By Ruby Pratka
Local Journalism Initiative
It may be possible to get from Cowansville to Granby, Waterloo or Bromont without a car by the end of 2025, if a joint project between the MRC Brome-Missisquoi and the MRC Haute-Yamaska goes according to plan. The two MRCs are planning to put in place a regular bus service linking the four cities, MRC Brome-Missisquoi transit co-ordinator Khalil El Fatmi confirmed.
El Fatmi said the goal was to offer service in both directions between Granby and Cowansville, Cowansville and Bromont, Bromont and Waterloo and Waterloo and Granby. The MRC currently has an on-demand transit service linking Cowansville with surrounding municipalities. “That kept coming up in our discussions [with users of the current service] – they kept asking why we didn’t go to Granby.”
“The main objective [of the partnership] is to link our two territories together,” he said. “The process started last year, there was a call for tenders and the contract was issued in June. We’re now in the needs assessment process, looking at the service. We’re looking at the major axes we need to target. We need to work on the schedule and see what works best for workers and students.” The MRC is using anonymized data on travel patterns collected from schools, municipalities and medical facilities to see what routes will serve the most people.
He expects that the MRC will announce the new route or routes in early 2025. “We’re in the planning phase and it’s hard to go into detail … but we would like for there to be a service that responds to people’s needs. We just want it to work and be used.”
The MRC recently announced plans to extend a city bus pilot project in Cowansville; El Fatmi said discussions were underway with two other municipalities about implementing city bus service. The municipality also intends to roll out a mobile app next spring that will allow users of the existing on-demand transit service to reserve trips online a few hours in advance – rather than the 24 hours currently required. “The more attractive public transit is, the more people are going to use it…and things are moving,” he said.
Cowansville Mayor Sylvie Beauregard said a bus service between the four cities is “definitely a need for the population,” especially for CEGEP students and people getting medical treatment who have to travel regularly between Granby and Cowansville. “For a lot of people, this will be easier than having a car, it’ll reduce traffic and additional greenhouse gases,” she said. “This has been on the table for many, many years, and now we’re moving toward realization.”