Brampton Transit is expanding service north of Mayfield on Dixie Road

Buses to bring people into Caledon for work

By Zachary Roman

People taking transit to work in Caledon will soon have a safer journey.

The Town of Caledon is going to be signing an agreement with the City of Brampton to expand Brampton Transit service North of Mayfield Road on Dixie Road. There are a number of large employers on the Caledon side of Dixie, such as UPS, Acklands Grainger, DHL, Lindstrom Fasteners, and Coast Holding. 

It was these employers that first asked the Town to look into expanded Brampton Transit service, as currently it stops at Mayfield Road. This means employees who don't have a car have to walk the last kilometre or so to work.

Arash Olia, Caledon's Manager of Transportation Engineering, submitted a staff report to Caledon Council at its February 7 General Committee meeting. The report recommended that “transit service provided by Brampton Transit be expanded to include Dixie Road, north

of Mayfield Road” and that “the expansion be funded from the Provincial Gas Tax Reserve up to the estimated cost of $60,000 annually.”

Olia's report and its recommendations were supported unanimously on consent by Council.

Brampton Transit already provides some service in Caledon, with local routes in Southfields Village and Tullamore. Council first told Town staff to work with Brampton Transit to explore adding the Dixie route in 2022.

“Several large employers along Dixie Road informed the Town that approximately 30 per cent of their employees are using transit to commute to and from work,” reads Olia's staff report. “Dixie Road is still in a rural condition, so there are no existing sidewalks or street lighting available for pedestrians. This creates a challenging and potentially unsafe situation for pedestrians walking along this stretch of the road.”

Town of Caledon staff estimate around 500 people will be using the new route, after completing research with Brampton Transit and the DIxie Road employers. UPS is going to allow buses to turn around on their driveways to increase the efficiency of the route.

There's going to be nine trips a day on the new route, which will align with workers' shift changes. The route is anticipated to be active by Fall of this year.