Mayor unveils Tigers express
Craig Pearson, Windsor Star
Published: Wednesday, October 18, 2006
Windsor-area Tigers fans should find it easier to head to Comerica Park during the World Series.
Transit Windsor will increase the number of tunnel buses on the weekend and will provide special buses on which riders will be pre-processed to speed up border inspection.
Riders must still bring proper ID and will have to get off the buses to be cleared by American customs officials, though Mayor Eddie Francis said the process should be significantly quicker.
"What we're announcing today is a brainchild of Super Bowl XL" in February, Francis said. "We've implemented pre-manifesting of the passengers for seamless service."
CALL 311
Anyone wishing to use the special bus need only call 311, the city services number, in advance to register. Starting Thursday, riders can call to provide their names, birth dates, proof of citizenship, and, if they are neither Canadian nor American citizens, passport numbers.
"What we learned from Super Bowl is that it works," Francis said at a news conference which showcased a Transit Windsor bus with a lighted front-window sign reading Go Tigers!!!
"For Super Bowl we handled over 5,000 people who were crossing."
Callers in the surrounding area may call 255-CITY (2489). Operators will answer Thursday and Friday, from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Saturday, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.; and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The special bus costs $3.50 each way. The tunnel bus costs $2.75 each way.
The games are scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m. World Series buses will start leaving the downtown bus terminal at 44 University Ave. E. at 5 p.m. Tunnel buses will run throughout the day, though without pre-clearance officials warn there could be some delays.
"During the Super Bowl they were able to process a bus within five minutes," said Pat Delmore, Transit Windsor's director of operations.
"But they tell us we should be looking at
three minutes per person if the bus is not manifested."
cpearson@thestar.canwest.com or 255-5777, ext. 437
© The Windsor Star 2006
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3 minutes per person for customs processing? I think the United States fails to give its officers enough credit: these officers are trained professionals capable of making an assessment with respect whether someone is or is not a baseball fan rather than a terrorist.
It is events like the World Series that highlight how important it is for the reinstatement of a Windsor-Detroit ferry link. Windsorites could walk down to a ferry terminal, preclear US Customs in Windsor, take the ferry to Detroit, hop on the peoplemover and get off at Comerica. Such a route could be extremely popular as it would add capacity during peak times and people would not get caught up in the tunnel traffic on game days.