Bathurst council votes unanimously for transit service
People in Bathurst will get a chance to ride the bus this year, now that city council has voted unanimously to approve a pilot transit project.
"We are so excited," Mayor Kim Chamberlain told Information Morning Moncton.
"As soon as I got elected as mayor ... one of my mandates was to try to have public transportation in our area.
"During this pilot program, it gives us an opportunity to try out certain bus stops within the city limits to see how much usage there will be," she said.
Council heard a presentation last month from Jessica Poirier of the Chaleur Regional Service Commission that explained the plan for the fixed-line service that would connect residential areas and the busiest travel points, such as the Collège communautaire du Nouveau-Brunswick, pharmacies, the hospital and grocery stores.
At the Dec. 16 presentation, Poirier said the pilot would include three 20-seater commercial minibuses operating six days a week, Monday to Saturday, for 12 hours per day.
The proposed fare would be $3.50 per trip, with discounted multi-ride cards available.
Jessica Poirier of the Chaleur Regional Service Commission presented the transit plan at a December council meeting. (City of Bathurst livestream)
The cost breakdown differed by year. For example, the cost is estimated at about $408,000 for 2025, but Poirier said that would only cover half the year, and it could change depending on when the buses are delivered.
For 2026, the estimated operational expenses would be $747,000, with about $221,000 of that coming from the municipality. The estimated revenue for 2025 is around $325,000 and $526,000 for 2026, according to the presentation.
Chamberlain said the pilot will be mostly funded by the federal government, with partial funding coming from the regional service commission — which will run the project — and the city.
Chamberlain said a committee will be put together to decide on some of the details. It will include police, fire and public works to make sure the stop locations are safe.
She said she hopes the service will be up and running by September, with success to be measured by usage — but she doesn't see that as an issue.
"The first full year with all the funding programs, it's a $221,000 cost for operation — that is nothing for the municipality to be able to offer public service to our citizens," said Chamberlain.
