HSR launches new trip-planning app as service ramps up

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Published September 8, 2020 at 4:51 pm

A new app to help Hamiltonians navigate the city via public transit launched on Tuesday (Sept. 8).

A new app to help Hamiltonians navigate the city via public transit launched on Tuesday (Sept. 8).

The HSR debuted the HSRnow mobile app for iOS and Android devices this week, just in time for the return to school and in the wake of plans to ramp up HSR services following months of reduced schedules during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown.

The HSRnow mobile app is free to use can be downloaded here.

The trip planning option was funded through the federal government’s Public Transit Infrastructure Fund (PTIF) and is one of many projects that support the City’s 10-Year Transit Strategy that strives to grow the ridership, a press release issued Tuesday (Sept. 8) said.

Customers can use the app to:

  • Plan their trips from A-to-B;
  • Get real-time next bus information for close-by stops;
  • Sign up to receive stop and route notifications, and text or email alerts.

On Sunday (Sept. 6), the HSR returned to weekday service at a summer level on most routes, with the equivalent of a 100 per cent seated capacity.

Up until recently, buses had only been carrying 50 per cent passenger loads.

The HSR was forced to significantly scale back service and passenger loads in response to the COVID-19 pandemic back in March. The measures also included not collecting fares for months.

As a result, Hamilton’s transit provider has taken a massive financial hit.

Hamilton recently announced that they would be getting more than $44 million in pandemic relief funding from higher levels of government. More than $17 million of that is earmarked specifically for transit.

While the HSR says they’re not quite certain how a return to school will impact their ridership, these service changes are being implemented in anticipation of increased capacity, particularly during rush hours.

The HSRnow mobile app, along with the other tools in the HSRnow suite of trip planning products, were developed with HSR’s long-standing vendor Trapeze Software Inc.

Customers using other mobile apps or services to obtain their HSR bus information (e.g.: Google Transit, Transit App, MonTransit) may continue to use these apps and these products will continue to work as they always have.

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