Busing to Fanshawe College will mean longer routes and more transfers for many students this spring as the city starts work on Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) construction near the college. On the first week of summer term, Oxford Street was closed out front of main campus as city crews worked.
The roadwork is part of the “East London Link” route of London’s rapid transit plan, which aims to make bus travel more efficient and is scheduled to start service in 2027.
But this week, bus riders were still trying to navigate new stops and other changes to popular Fanshawe buses 4, 17, 20 and 91, which have been rerouted to avoid construction.
“I got off at the wrong stop, then found out that I needed to get on another bus, which was annoying” said one of several students waiting outside a temporary stop Monday.
Construction workers on Oxford Street near Fanshawe College Boulevard. (Photo: Daniel Thuss)
The London Transit Commission has also added a temporary route — 111.
The map of the temporary bus route changes
This is the fifth year of BRT construction, which started in 2021 with the “downtown loop” section. While regular LTC buses have already started using bus-only lanes, the official rapid transit system is scheduled to start in the fall of 2027 between downtown and Fanshawe.
“The Rapid Transit creates consistent routes with the bus only lane so people can get to school, work, or events on time” said Katie Burns, LTC director of planning.
She acknowledged the construction has sparked mixed reactions from Londoners, but noted the goal to create a more efficient transit system has generated excitement.
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