How North Grenville Expanded Transit Access and Boosted Ridership by 148%

Overview

For over two decades, North Grenville Accessible Transportation (NGAT) operated as a volunteer-run service, providing essential mobility for residents with accessibility needs. To ensure long-term sustainability, NGAT requested that the Municipality take over operations. Following a comprehensive transit study, North Grenville identified the need for a modern, demand-responsive transit system that could dynamically adapt to ridership needs.

To meet this challenge, the Municipality issued an RFP for a full turnkey solution. Blaise partnered with MTS, the operator, to bring our innovative technology to North Grenville’s new on-demand transit system. Through dynamic scheduling, digital payments and real-time route optimization, Blaise is reshaping North Grenville’s public transportation, ensuring residents can travel efficiently and conveniently, whenever they need.

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Challenges

Lack of Digital Infrastructure

The existing accessible transit service operated without a dedicated scheduling or dispatch platform. This made it difficult to efficiently manage trip requests in real-time, optimize routing or respond dynamically to changes in demand and collect and analyze performance data

‍System Exclusivity

The previous transit system functioned as a specialized paratransit service, limited to specific user groups such as seniors and those with special mobility challenges. While it successfully supported those residents, it inadvertently excluded a broader segment of the population also facing transportation barriers. Youth, low-income individuals and rural residents without reliable access to personal vehicles were particularly disadvantaged by the lack of a more inclusive system.

Data Gaps

Without a digital platform, the municipality had limited visibility into critical operational metrics such as unfulfilled trip requests, peak usage times and total ridership, all deemed essential for service planning and improvement.

Our Solution

As the core technology provider, Blaise partnered with operator MTS to deliver a fully digital transit platform that modernized the municipality’s on-demand service. Blaise’s software enabled seamless trip booking, intelligent scheduling, and flexible service management, providing the infrastructure needed to elevate the transit system’s efficiency, accessibility, and scalability.

‍Expanding Service Offering with Technology

With Blaise’s platform at the center, the service, now operating as NGTransit, transitioned from a specialized accessible transit model to a fully inclusive on-demand system. This evolution was powered by Blaise’s configurable software, which allowed for greater flexibility in service design, operational control, and rider engagement.

‍Multiple Ways to Book

Blaise’s platform offers a frictionless booking experience across multiple channels. Riders can plan and book trips via the Blaise mobile or web app, or through a dedicated call center. This ensures accessibility for all users, regardless of their comfort with digital tools, and reflects Blaise’s commitment to inclusive mobility

‍Integrated payments and actionable data

Blaise’s technology supports multiple payment options—including digital wallets, monthly passes, and traditional fare collection—giving riders the freedom to choose how they pay. Simultaneously, the system captures detailed operational and usage data, equipping transit operators with real-time insights to manage demandand inform long-term planning.

‍Results

Since launching the service, North Grenville and NGTransit has seen strong performance across key rider experience and operational metrics. From higher satisfaction scores to a measurable increase in ridership, the numbers tell a story of success and impact

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