CREDIT: JARED ALLEN

Your college commute could change.

The London Transit Commission (LTC) is changing 41 bus routes as part of the 2019 Service Plan, according to their website.

Katie Burns, the LTC’s director of planning, said the route changes, affecting all but Route 37, are also part of a five-year strategy, with prioritizing “better matching the service provided with the demand for service,” and “simplifying the system”.

She also said the changes are either to the schedule, to the route, or both, including to all buses going to and from Fanshawe College’s campuses. The Route 27, for example, will go to Western University from the College and vice versa.

Burns said the route change “will be very beneficial for students that are taking courses at both schools” and the LTC “heard a lot of requests” to connect the two schools via bus.

In a follow-up email with Interrobang, Burns said adding new service hours during the past five years cost $9 million dollars, with $1.8 million for 2019 alone. She added the service hours’ price tags don’t include new connector pads and bus stop plates.

The LTC website, along with infographics from the LTC sent to Interrobang, explains how the changes will affect Fanshawe. Route 25 passengers will get to the College from CF Masonville Place faster as it cruises down Fanshawe Park Road. The bus will also run more often on Sundays and weekdays.

The 91 Express Route will run more often between 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. Route 104’s new schedule indicated it will have new start and end times for the route from Monday to Saturday.

Two buses arriving nearby the campus will have new names. Route 14 will become Route 10 and Route 15, which will also go to Fanshawe’s downtown campus, is the new name for Route 21.

Several buses taking students and staff to the college’s downtown campus will also change.

Route 3 will take the place of Route 3B, which travels between Argyle Mall and Downtown London.

Similarly, Route 5 will replace Route 3A, which goes from Byron to Argyle Mall.

Also experiencing a name change is Route 11, which will be renamed Route 7.

Routes 38 and 39 will be renamed Route 19 as they become part of that route.

Route 106 southbound will be renamed Route 102.

Route 9 will operate in the Fanshawe Park Rd. and Wonderland Rd. areas.

Route 93 will be a new bus running from White Oaks Mall to CF Masonville Place via Western Road and Wharncliffe Road, which the LTC infographic referred to as “semi-express”.

Route 94 will run from Argyle Mall to Western University.

Nine bus routes travelling through London will run longer six days a week. From Monday through Saturday, routes 2, 4, 9, 10, 13, 15, 16, 17 and 20 will run until 1 a.m.

There were some mixed opinions regarding the changes on the campus.

Stuart Gammer, an operations management student going into business-logistics and supply chain management in the fall, often takes the Route 27 bus to Fanshawe. Although he doesn’t “have much occasion” to travel to the university, he’s optimistic about the 27 going to Western.

“If I ever needed to go to Western University,” he said. “And to be able to just go straight there from Fanshawe College, sounds pretty good to be honest.”

Brandy Apfelbuck, a business-finance student, has a lot of busing options to campus, because she lives around Richmond and Oxford streets. She said that for the rest of her fellow students, the changes could go either way.

“I think they’re good for some students,” she said. “But other students may not like them because depending on if they change where the stops are, they might be a little inconvenient to other students.”

Cecile Asuncion, who is not a Fanshawe student but was at the College to help a friend, is concerned about the changes, as she knows international students seeking housing.

“They try to find places that they can stay that [are] closer to the campus so they don’t have to bus,” she said. “Because when they research it, like how far and how long it will take them to bus, it’s making them scared.”

Burns said to look at the updated schedules, available on the LTC website and at their offices on 150 Dundas St. and 450 Highbury Ave. N to learn about the changes. She also said to use Google Maps or realtime.londontransit.ca to find out when your bus is arriving.

Since apps like OnTime are third party and not run by the LTC, Burns said it’s tough to say if the information will update with the route changes.

“We do try to let the developers know that we’re making changes,” she said. “But we can’t guarantee that they actually update them.”

The changes take effect on Sept. 1. For more information, including other route changes, visit londontransit.ca.