The route 150 bus wasn’t very full on Sunday, but the people on board had places to go — church, work, or visiting friends. Just one week before, many would have to take a taxi, but they were enjoying the first day of Fredericton’s Sunday bus service.
“Sundays we normally would take a cab down and a cab up, but that’s a little on the expensive side to do twice a day every week,” said rider Peter Gamblin said, who taking his mom to church.
Fiona Peach was on her way to work at a coffee shop. “I’ll be able to go farther around the city, I don’t have to worry about spending the extra money on cabbing. I can use my public transit to get where I need to go,” she said.
Years of calls for change
Fredericton Mayor Kate Rogers said the change happened faster than originally scheduled following a decade of calls to the city for the additional day of service. She said it was also a top recommendation from members of the Anti-Racism Task Force, and added she expects Sunday transit will make the city more liveable.
“It just makes your community more available and more accessible to you, and it enables you to get around in a way that’s also more affordable,” Rogers said.
Morgan Peters, CEO of the Fredericton Chamber of Commerce, said businesses have been asking for this change. He said this will positively impact employees, employers, and even tourism.
“We’re a growing city. At the State of the City recently, Mayor Rogers said that we’re adding about 3,000 people a year. So being able to allow those people to get around the city easier on Sunday is going to be a positive for business,” he said.
New routes
Fredericton is also pioneering a cross-town bus route that will keep busses largely on the north and south sides. If it goes well, the city will consider expanding it to the weekday routes.
“If it doesn’t work, then we’ll keep working at it, we’ll keep changing, we’ll keep working with our customers and see what works for them,” said Charlene Sharpe, Fredericton’s transit manager.
There are currently 10 busses doing hourly rotations between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. on Sundays. Sharpe said it’s up to city council whether they choose to expand the service.