Argo Corporation has launched a 12-month pilot service of its Smart Routing system in the Ontario city of Brampton, part of the Greater Toronto Area. The on-demand, fully electric service connects to existing Brampton Transit routes and integrates with the PRESTO fare system.

The service will operate weekdays from 5:30am to 9:30pm in the downtown Brampton area, allowing residents to use the Argo Transit app for a first- and last-mile solution. The pilot programme aims to augment Brampton Transit’s existing network with on-demand service.

According to an agreement between Ontario public transport agency Metrolinx and Argo, PRESTO fare collection devices will be installed on Argo’s X1 electric buses, enabling seamless transfers to and from Brampton Transit and GO Transit under Ontario’s One Fare Programme.

“This partnership will demonstrate how Smart Routing can augment and strengthen existing transit services in a major city,” said Praveen Arichandran, CEO of Argo.

In related news, Argo has previously announced that its Smart Routing system more than doubled average daily transit ridership in Ontario town of Bradford West Gwillimbury, in the Toronto Metropolitan Area.