Draft Service Guidelines - Spring 2026

Kingston Transit and Dillon Consulting have developed a series of Service Guidelines based on Kingston Transit’s current practices, investigation of service guidelines for comparable systems, and public feedback from phase 1 of the Kingston Transit Service Review (fall 2025). These guidelines are an initial recommendation and could be further developed in future years to adapt to changes in the network.

Service classifications

Different routes and services fit into a family of services offered by Kingston Transit. Service classifications are used to identify the preferred operating model for different services.

Classification	Definition	Characteristics
Frequent	Fixed-route service providing frequent service along busy, dense corridors in Kingston, connecting major destinations.	All-day service, 7 days a week Frequent service Adherence to arterial corridors, with deviations only to enter major transit hubs for connectivity
Main	Fixed-route service providing ridership-oriented service primarily along arterial roads, to less busy destinations than frequent service.	All-day service, 7 days a week Operate at lower frequencies than frequent service Connect to major transit hubs and frequent service Adherence to arterial corridors, with deviations only to enter major transit hubs for connectivity
Local	Fixed-route service providing coverage-oriented service primarily along collector roads and key local roads.	Operate during weekday rush hours, at minimum Operate at lower frequencies than frequent service Connect to major transit hubs and frequent service
Commuter Routes	Fixed-route service providing limited stop service between major destinations, park-and-rides, and transit hubs in Kingston, focusing on longer-distance travel along higher-speed corridors.	Operate during weekday rush hours, at minimum Operate at lower frequencies than frequent service Connect to major transit hubs and park-and-ride facilities Limited stops Adherence to arterial corridors and highways, with deviations only to enter major transit hubs for connectivity May require a frequent, main, or local service underneath to service local stops depending on the selected corridor
On-demand	Demand-responsive service that operates in areas where conventional bus service is challenging to implement successfully, including rural areas.	Lower ridership productivity than other routes Connects riders to major transit hubs and bus routes to access the rest of the Kingston Transit network
Night	Overnight fixed-route service that provides key connections along major corridors.	No minimum frequency, operates at level to provide basic service Aligns with frequent service corridors

Minimum Service Span

The following service spans identify minimum hours of operation for different service classifications. Routes can exceed the minimums, but the minimum span sets a target for introducing new service or updating existing services.

Classification	Weekday	Saturday	Sunday
Frequent	5 a.m. to 12 a.m.	6 a.m. to 12 a.m.	6 a.m. to 12 a.m.
Main	6 a.m. to 11 p.m.	7 a.m. to 11 p.m.	7 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Express	7 a.m. to 10 a.m. 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.	No minimum	No minimum
Local	7 a.m. to 10 am 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.	No minimum	No minimum
On-demand	7 a.m. to 10 a.m. 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.	No minimum	No minimum
Night	12 a.m. to 5 a.m.	12 a.m. to 6 a.m.	12 a.m. to 6 a.m.

Maximum Service Headway (minutes)

Maximum service headways (the inverse of minimum service frequency) define the maximum wait time between vehicles that should be experienced by passengers on any given service classification. Service headways are defined for regularly scheduled fixed-route services in the urban area. Services within each classification can operate at shorter headways than the maximum, but the maximum defines the lowest service level that should be provided for a route with that classification.

Night routes do not have a maximum headway, and should be provisioned based on what can meet the minimum service productivity target for those classifications. Main, local, and express routes may not operate during all periods identified, so the headways apply only as service is added in those periods.

Service day	Period	Frequent	Main	Local and Express
Weekday	Peaks	15	20	30
Weekday	Other times	20	30	30
Weekends and holidays	All day	20	30	30

Access and Coverage

Access and coverage guidelines allow Kingston Transit to set a standard guideline for stop placement, helping plan new stop infrastructure that is placed consistently across routes.

Metric	Standard
Maximum walking distance	Frequent, Express: 800 metres using street and trail network Main, Local: 500 metres using street and trail network Review walking distances at key locations (e.g., community centres, senior residences) to support high levels of access
Average stop spacing	Express: 1000-1200 metres Frequent: 400-600 metres Main, Local: 250-350 metres
Coverage	85% of residents in the urban area within a 400-metre walk of a fixed-route or on-demand transit stop 90% of residents in the urban area within an 800-metre walk of a fixed-route or on-demand transit stop

Vehicle Capacities

Vehicle capacities set a standard for the expected passenger comfort levels at different times of day. It is generally expected that:

Seated capacity is the preferred comfortable occupancy during off-peak service.
Peak capacity is the preferred comfortable occupancy during weekday peak service.
Seated capacity is the maximum occupancy for any service operating on Highway 401 or other controlled-access highways. When seated capacity is reached, frequency along the route or vehicle sizes should be increased to accommodate the additional demand.
Maximum capacity is the maximum occupancy for any service operating on other roads. When maximum capacity is reached, frequency along the route or vehicle sizes should be increased to accommodate the additional demand.

Vehicle size	Seated capacity (100%)	Peak capacity (125%)	Maximum capacity (150%)
40 foot conventional	38	48	57

Amenities

Stop amenity guidelines identify where to best place different amenities, to balance improving passenger comfort with the cost behind installing and maintaining amenities at different stops.

Amenity	Standard
Shelter with bench	At stops with: more than 20 boardings per weekday major intermodal transfer connections
Bicycle racks Waste receptacles	Explore opportunities for provisioning these amenities at or near stops with more than 30 boardings per weekday
Bus stop signs	All stops
Concrete pad	May use a fully accessible larger sidewalk in areas where a pad is not feasible to install or where the sidewalk is sufficiently sized.

Performance Indicators

Additional performance indicators define the operational and financial performance of the service, providing other benchmarks for Kingston Transit to monitor as it expands services or identifies areas of improvement.

Metric	Definition	Standard
On-time performance (arrivals)	Arrival time at key timing points between 3 minutes early and 1 minute late	85%
On-time performance (departures)	Departure time at key timing points between 1 minute early and 3 minutes late	85%
Revenue-to-cost ratio	Farebox revenue divided by the operating cost, per year	35%

Infrastructure

Reliability at intersections and along road segments should be monitored to review their impact on on-time performance for different routes, and infrastructure improvements should be explored in different scenarios. Transit signal priority should be explored at intersections with highly variable performance, particularly along frequent service corridors.

Service Changes

Introducing new services often requires an adjustment period for passengers to adapt to changes, particularly if they were not already transit users. Similarly, service may overperform or underperform expectations and reach a point where it needs to be reassessed under a new classification.

Services in new areas should reach 50% of the minimum productivity target after 9 months, and 100% of the minimum productivity target after 18 months.
New services that fall below the minimum productivity target after 18 months, or existing services that have been in places for at least 18 months, should be assessed under a new classification, re-routed, or discontinued.
On-demand service should be reviewed for conversion to fixed-route once it sustains a minimum of 6-10 boardings per hour over a 3-month period.