By: Sylene Argent, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Essex Free Press
The Leamington to Windsor (LTW) transit service has offered pick-ups three times a day during the week and twice a day over the weekend – also stopping in Kingsville and Essex – since July of 2019, connecting commuters from the southern-end of Essex County to St. Clair College and Windsor.
With a lack of continued Provincial funding, and with a majority of County Council not willing to support it, this regional transit service will be discontinued April 30, 2026, Leamington Council, the operator, voted at its October 28 meeting.
“Unfortunately, [I’m] in front of Council today, to say that it is the opinion of your administration that the service is no longer sustainable for Leamington to run on our own,” Robert Sharon, Director of Infrastructure Services for Leamington, said before Council took the vote.
He also spoke of the rise in operating costs on the service, and decline in revenue and ridership, being factors in his recommendation. He noted the service went from operating at $94/hr in 2019 to the proposed rate of $158/hr; around a 68% increase.
The transit service – which averages between 700 and 1100 riders per month, with 60% of the ridership from Leamington – was originally initiated through a five-year $606,400 Community Transportation Grant through the Province of Ontario. It was, however, extended to March 31, 2025, due to service interruptions caused by the Pandemic, a report to Leamington Council on the matter highlights.
During the recent Municipality of Leamington’s Council meeting, Leamington Council had to decide how to discontinue the LTW service: December 31, 2025 when the existing contract with Transit Windsor expires; on April 30, 2026, and authorize Administration to enter into a four-month contract with Transit Windsor; or on December 31, 2025, and begin negotiations to initiate an on-going twice per day post-secondary school bus shuttle service from the Leamington Recreation Complex to St. Clair College starting January 6, 2026.
Leamington Council chose to continue the service until April 30, 2026, recognizing there could be detrimental impact to those who have come to rely on the service, predominantly students attending St. Clair College or the University of Windsor, if it were to be discontinued at the end of the year. Going to the end of April will get the students through the school-year, Sharon explained.
To run the service for that four-months, Sharon noted it would likely cost around $123,000.
After learning provincial funding had dried up, a majority of Essex County Council – consisting of the mayors and deputy mayors of the seven local municipalities – approved funding 50% of the 2025 net operating deficit costs of the Leamington to Windsor regional transit service, up to a maximum of $100,000. That was back in February.
Those funds came from the Rate Stabilization Reserve.
Leamington committed $56,000. Essex and Kingsville have also committed up to $20,000 each to support the route.
The service has been partially funded through the Community Transportation (CT) Grant Program. Funding also comes from fare revenue, which accounts for around 30% of its Operating Budget. It also receives Leamington tax dollars.
In a vote of 9-4 at the time, Administration for the County of Essex was also directed to establish a Regional Transit Working Group to engage all local municipalities regarding their interest in establishing regional transit services in their communities.
At the October 1 meeting of County Council, it turned down an opportunity to fund the $130,000 needed to support the L2W Transit operating deficit in the 2026 Budget, with a vote of 7-6.
A majority County of Essex Council did vote to direct Administration to continue discussions with the Transit Working Group regarding recommendations of the Transportation Master Plan related to Regional Transit, and approved $100,000 to begin a Transit Feasibility Study funded by the Rate Stabilization Reserve in the 2026 Budget for discussion.
Staff will provide County Council with a follow up report, summarizing the work of the Regional Transit Working Group later in 2025 and prior to the 2026 Budget.
Sharon noted Leamington has had its own transit service since the 1980s, and often heard from users the need to have access to the City of Windsor.
Transit to the City of Windsor, municipal staff heard, would provide a lot of people opportunity, especially students looking to attend post-secondary education. When the Province released transit funding opportunities in 2018, Leamington received the initial grant.
Since 2010, Sharon noted there was a steady increase in ridership. From 2024-2025, however, 2000 less fares are projected, from 13,000 a year in 2024 to 11,000 in 2025.
“One of the most challenging aspects of the last few years in dealing with the operation of this service is having to rely on other Councils or other organizations to try to make this thing viable,” Sharon told Leamington Council.
Sharon called the situation “disappointing. This was the first regional transit service, really, that has run – not to get sentimental – but since the 1930s, when there used to be streetcars that ran through our communities from Leamington to Essex to Windsor.”
He said Leamington was excited to provide the service again.
Sharon noted he has not yet had conversation with Kingsville or Essex regarding contributing to that four-month extension. Leamington Council’s decision set the stage to start that conversation.
Deputy Mayor Larry Verbeke, who Chaired the meeting in Mayor Hilda MacDonald’s absence, had his doubts on getting contributions from Kingsville and Essex.
“This makes me sad,” Councillor Heather Latam added, noting the service gave independence to students who do not drive to get to their post-secondary institution. She supported the option of beginning negotiations to initiate an on-going twice per day post-secondary school bus shuttle service from Leamington.
Councillor Anthony Abraham added governments “sometimes find ourselves shortsighted in the cost of not having this service.”
He said there is a cost to having the service, and an “unwritten cost of not having it.”
Abraham wanted to see more exploration into the program.
