A boom in ridership means a need for bigger buses in Corner Brook. The city is buying two buses to replace its smaller fleet, which will nearly double its rider capacity.
Corner Brook Transit, operated by Buckle Charters, is buying two 27-seat buses to replace the current 15-seat buses.
Mayor Jim Parsons said the buses will cost the city an additional $120,000 per year, and hopes to see them on the road in early December.
“We’ve seen really meager numbers when it comes to transit,” he said. “But for the last year or so, we’ve seen a really big increase, really since COVID, of transit use, which is great.”
Parsons said the city believes the increase in ridership is driven by students and newcomers who may be more used to riding public transit in larger cities.
CBC News reported on the concerns some riders had about Corner Brook Transit in August — specifically around the need for larger buses and service delays that led to missed connections.
Corner Brook Transit is about to replace its 15-seat buses with 27-seat vehicles. Mayor Jim Parsons said the need to expand is driven by students and newcomers availing of transit, and hopes to see more growth soon.
CBC News also spoke with a bus driver at a stop on Thursday, who said two passengers had to be left behind on a route last week because the bus was at full capacity.
Parsons said adding capacity is a good first step, but there’s still work to be done.
“We still have our fixed routes, but we’re working on some other projects,” he said. “We’re looking at options of whether or not we can include additional para-transit services in parallel to that system. [And] on demand as well, to supplement the fixed route system.”
The city recently finished an accessibility study of its transit system, which Parsons says identified challenges around the location of bus stops. Some are full bus shelters, while others around the city are placed on lawns.
There are other plans in the works, he said, like offering bus passes to residents on income support or a guaranteed income supplement.
He also said there are long-term goals.
“I would like to pilot free transit. So the possibility of maybe cost sharing something with the province on this to try providing transit for free,” he said. “Let’s see how that transforms things, and how people use the system.”
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