ARGO Transit Pilot Coming to Caledon

April 16, 2026 · 0 Comments

By Riley Murphy, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

At a recent General Committee meeting, Caledon Council members moved for Caledon to enter into an On-Demand Micro-Transit Pilot Agreement with Argo Transit, which would bring on-demand electric minibuses to Caledon communities.

In a motion unanimously approved by Council, a Staff report states that the Town of Caledon currently delivers transit services to residents through fixed-route contracts with Brampton Transit.

It was stated that these services operate with limited frequency and coverage, resulting in service gaps, and do not currently connect communities or serve Caledon East.

ARGO Transit is a micro-transit service provider with experience delivering on-demand transit in other communities, including the Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury and in Brampton’s Downtown core.

They first connected with the Town of Caledon back in December of 2025 on how their “on-demand, fully electric micro-transit services could benefit the Town of Caledon.”

ARGO Transit shared with the committee their fully electric fleet minibuses, which seat up to 18 people, are also wheelchair accessible.

These minibuses were said to be large enough to fit numerous people, but small enough to navigate neighbourhoods and park in a standard parking lot.

The pilot would service three communities in Caledon, Bolton, Mayfield West (Southfields), and Caledon East, which would in turn replace three existing Brampton Transit routes, #81, #25 and #41.

It would also include integration with regional transit services with transfers through PRESTO and the One Fare Program.

Service is proposed to be seven days a week, with a target to reduce median wait times

to 20 minutes.

It was recommended that the pilot begin on October 1, 2026, to align with the Town’s budget cycle and to allow time for service stabilization and evaluation, so the newly elected Council can make decisions regarding the continuation or extension of service.

With a total project budget of an estimated $4.61 million, $1.1 million will be from the uncommitted Provincial Gas Tax Reserve and $3.51 million from the Capital Asset Replacement Fund.

During the Committee meeting, Council unanimously supported the motion, but many raised both concerns and questions.

A presentation from the Region of Peel Agricultural Society, by Treasurer Ed Hazell, asked Council to consider moving the pilot to begin in September, allowing them to use it for their annual fair.

Council also discussed how moving the pilot to September would allow the opportunity to bring information about the pilot to schools for students to utilize the program.

Staff say that although the pilot date was set for reasons such as notice to Brampton and time for the project proponent to ramp up, they will take the ask away to look into it further.

Another issue raised was the cancellation of the three routes currently operating, as Councillors noted that many residents rely on these lines rather than booking transportation in advance, which would be required under the pilot.

When the report comes forward to Council on April 28 for final ratification, staff says they can bring forward amendments regarding the September date, as well as the financial implications of continuing to carry the Brampton lines at the same time as the pilot.