Photo by: Brenden Cowan

Since the first day of the new year, anyone who commutes by bus in the Niagara Region might have noticed a new message on city buses’ destination signs. Not only does the sign state the route destination and number per usual, but a “We are NRT” message also pops up. 

On Jan. 1, 2023, the Niagara Transit Commission launched a new consolidated transit system in Niagara called Niagara Region Transit (NRT). NRT comes from an effort from the 12 local municipalities in the region to combine the existing NRT, Niagara Falls Transit, St. Catharines Transit, Welland Transit and Fort Erie Transit systems into one transit system. 

NRT is expected to facilitate better access to businesses and services in the Niagara Region, provide new options for residents in neighboring municipalities as well as new markets for businesses. 

Another for the NRT is to help the environment, as it’s set to provide residents with more sustainable and environmentally-friendly transit options,which is expected to reduce traffic congestion and greenhouse gas emissions.  

Although riders might see a change in bus pass and fare prices as well as technology to better align the transit services across the Niagara Region, bus riders will not experience any changes to bus routes, schedules, OnDemand and specialized transit services.