HSR Next

HSR connects people to what matters most: school, work, friends and fun.
Great transit is vital to helping Hamilton achieve its vision of being the best place to raise a child and age successfully. As our population grows over the next 30 years, improving transit connections between communities will be more important than ever. A strong transit network helps reduce traffic congestion and emissions and connects to our future Light Rail Transit (LRT) system.

HSR Next will make it easier to travel across the city for work, shopping, leisure and spending time with family and friends. For many of our riders, this will reduce the time spent on transit and the number of transfers. 

Changes to the network will be implemented using a phased approach over several years.

HSR Next was designed to provide practical and sustainable bus service. Some streets are suitable for buses, while others are not. Decisions about routes were guided by what works best, considering: 

• Whether streets can safely and efficiently support bus traffic
• Availability of space for stops, layovers and places where the buses can turn around
• Existing and future infrastructure to support reliable service
• Logical locations for local routes to connect to major corridors and transit hubs

HSR selects bus stop locations based on how close they are to where people live and work, ensuring most residents have easy access to transit. We aim for:

• 90% of people and jobs in the urban area are within a 5-minute walk (400m) of a bus stop or on-demand transit service
• 95% are within a 10-minute walk (800m)
• All routes connect to a GO Train station with one or no transfers

These goals help ensure convenient access to transit across the city.

Yes. HSR Next builds on years of planning and public engagement to design a transit network that better reflects the needs of Hamiltonians today and into the future. Community input included more than 27,000 in-person interactions, 150 community events and 8,000 completed surveys. Engagement was a key part of shaping the proposed changes.

To learn more about the engagement process and how community feedback helped shape HSR Next, visit hamilton.ca/reenvision.

Extensive network consultation through (Re)envision the HSR included a diverse range of participants, including persons with disabilities, youth, seniors and newcomers. The survey results represented all key groups and helped shape the network design. 
Moving forward, HSR Next continues to embed inclusivity, diversity, equity and accessibility as guiding principles. Communication and outreach about network changes will be tailored to our diverse audiences to support a smooth transition.
 

HSR Next is redesigning the bus network to better connect you to the future LRT.

Once the LRT opens, more than 90% of HSR routes will link directly, with bus service at every LRT stop. The LRT will become the main way to travel east-west through central Hamilton, while buses will continue to take you further north, south and beyond the LRT route.
 

HSR Next is for everyone, not just current riders. It’s designed with all Hamiltonians in mind—whether you ride the bus today or might in the future. The new network aims to make transit more convenient, fast, frequent and reliable, making it a real option for more residents.

As the new system rolls out, it will improve your access to work, school, shopping and recreation. It also helps connect people to the social, cultural and economic opportunities that make Hamilton a vibrant, inclusive city.

More and more youth are delaying or not getting a driver’s license. With the high cost of cars and insurance and the climate crisis, transit is an affordable, green and safe transportation option. Choosing transit means fewer cars on the road and a reliable way to get where you need to go.

Even if you don’t ride transit now, HSR Next supports a more connected, greener and accessible community for all.
 

There are so many new terms: hubs, rapid routes, collector and local routes and on-demand service. What do they all mean? 
Here are a few key terms and definitions that you’ll see included on this website and throughout our customer communication. We’ll keep adding to this list as time goes on.

Hubs are key spots where lots of people start or end their trips, like Mohawk College, Meadowlands Power Centre or West Harbour. These busy areas are often called Nodes or Employment Areas in the City’s Official Plan. Some hubs will be off-street, but most will be along the road. Each hub will offer shelters, transit service information, public art and other customer amenities.

Improving first-mile/last-mile accessibility means making it easier for people to get to and from transit, whether by walking, biking, using local or on-demand transit or connecting routes, so the entire trip is more convenient and efficient.

Route and service types: HSR Next will provide service on three route types: BLAST^x rapid routes, commuter and local routes, and myRide on-demand service. 

• Rapid routes, called BLAST^x, offer fast, direct trips between major hubs with fewer stops and frequent service. 
• Collector routes connect to hubs too but cover more areas with more stops than rapid routes.  
• Local routes bring passengers to hubs where they can transfer to collector routes and rapid routes.  
• On-demand service does not operate a fixed route or schedule; instead, it is a stop-to-stop service that dynamically adjusts its route as customers request to be picked up within a defined service area.