The City of Kingston is inviting residents to share their thoughts on a proposed redesign of the local bus network, with a public survey open until May 3, 2026. The city is working with Dillon Consulting Limited to review and modernize the transit system to better serve the community, which saw ridership grow to 6.1 million annual trips in 2023.
The proposed plan introduces six new categories for bus routes: Frequent, Main, Local, Express, On-Demand, and Night service. This follows feedback gathered during the first round of public engagement, where residents expressed concerns about bus frequency, reliability, and the need for better east-west connections. Other frequently mentioned issues included overcrowding on routes serving Queen’s University and St. Lawrence College, and the removal of the downtown connection on Route 2.
In addition to the survey, residents can provide input during a virtual public meeting scheduled for April 23, 2026, or an in-person open house at the Rideau Heights Community Centre on April 29, 2026. Many residents have already shown interest in new ways to travel, with 62 per cent of participants in previous consultations supporting a pilot for on-demand transit to help connect rural areas to the urban network.
The city is also preparing for seasonal changes to bus service, which will take effect on May 4, 2026. These updates include reducing service on Route 12 to weekday peak times only between downtown and CFB Kingston. Furthermore, the Sunday service for Express 601 and 602 will be replaced by Route 60 to provide more flexible options during weekend closures of the LaSalle Causeway throughout the summer.
Final recommendations for the transit network and updated service guidelines are expected to be completed in the spring of 2026.
