Lack of public transportation to N.B. tourist sites frustrates travellers

MONCTON – The lack of public transportation to some of the province’s most well-known tourist sites is frustrating some travellers. 

Bennet Bruens, 24, is a traveller from Germany. He’s trying to see as much of Canada as possible over the next six months.

“I arrived in Canada last week,” he said. “I arrived in Halifax, spending a week there and then moved on to Moncton.”

Bruens plans to travel around by bus, train or rideshare, a program that lets travellers connect online to share rides between cities, because he doesn’t have a car.

But in New Brunswick, Bruens has found it hard to see tourist hot spots like Hopewell Rocks.

“I sure want to, but I have not seen any buses or trains or something like this,” he said. “I feel like back in Germany, it’s quite usual to just get in a train or bus.”

Nikolas Robichaud says the lack of public transportation is one of the biggest complains he hears from travellers. He manages Moncton’s Youth Hostel, C’Mon Inn.

“A lot of times, they’ll either have to rent a car or if they talk among themselves –  if one of the guests actually has a car – they’ll carpool there,” Robichaud said, adding that Moncton is the hub for travellers between Nova Scotia, P.E.I. and Quebec.

Tourism made up 2.4 per cent of the GDP in 2012 and much of that tourism comes from people wanting to experience the province’s natural beauty.

Greg Estabrooks, the chair of the City of Moncton Taxi Committee said there is another option that people may not know about.

“We do do flat-rates to places like Hopewell Rocks, which is just under $60,” he said, adding that drivers would be more than happy to do these kinds of trips. He said the price is the same whether there is one person in the cab or whether they order a van with six people.

“There’s a saying in the cab industry, when your wheels are turning and somebody’s in the vehicle, you’re making money,” he said.