Saint John Transit is about to go through a number of changes aimed at making the bus service more efficient to better serve public transit users. The Transit Commission is working on a plan to implement a series of recommendations contained in an perational audit carried out by Stantec.
A key recommendation is an overhaul of the route structure that will provide access to where people want to go as direct as possible – simplify and maintain current fare structure – and introduce fare parity for the Handi-Bus service – and invest in an electronic fare collection system. Other recommendations deal with internal operations of the sysem.
Stantec does warn the Transit Commission it and the City could be subject of a New Brunswick Human Rights Act challenge if it doesn’t bring fare parity to the Handi-Bus service. That warning is based on a ruling in 2016 on in a complaint against the city of Yellowknife “for not offering a monthly pass to users of the accessible transit system and ordered it to stop using a fare structure discriminating against persons using public transit on the basis of disability.”
The full Stantec report can be found here.
