New GRT late night transit starting in September

A cancelled Grand River Transit (GRT) route is making a return to the streets of Kitchener-Waterloo in September.

Route 91 was discontinued during the pandemic due to a lack of riders. Pandemic restrictions forced bars to close early and nightlife was scaled back in a significant way, which led to GRT’s decision.

The return of the late night route comes after a group of students from the University of Waterloo started a petition back in April to bring Route 91 back.

They said a big focus was to cut down on drinking and driving once people leave the bars. Affordability was also top of mind.

“The big worry for us is night shift workers who often don’t have a safe and reliable way home, who have to come here late at night, spend money on parking, on gas, on all of these things,” explained Damian Mikhail, the lead organizer of the petition.

In April, a spokesperson for the transit services said consultations on its five-year business plan would begin later in the year.

The statement went on to say: “The plan will be the roadmap for all expansion of GRT services. We look forward to discussing with our customers and community their vision for the future of transit and expanded hours of service.”

Starting on September 2, Route 91 will operate Thursday to Saturday from Queen Station in downtown Kitchener to University of Waterloo Station.