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A Dartmouth councillor says he’s heard several concerns about public transit access to the much-hyped Ikea that opened in his district in September.
“I think this is a good example where we can do better. We need to look at where do our customers want to go, where do they want to travel?” District 6 Councillor Tony Mancini said on Friday.
He said Ikea customers and employees called him wanting to know when there will be a bus route that drops riders off closer to the store.
READ MORE: Thousands line up for Ikea grand opening in Dartmouth Crossing
On Nov. 27, Halifax Transit opened four additional bus stops on its 56 and 72 routes in the area in response to the increased number of people visiting the area.
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The closest stop is on Countryview Drive near Wright Avenue.
It takes about eight minutes to walk to the entrance of the store. The trip includes walking up a hill several metres high.
“Down the road, we will certainly look at the option of a route bringing people closer to those stores and other ones that will open up in Dartmouth Crossing,” said Nick Ritcey, a spokesperson for the municipality.
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He also said that Halifax Transit generally doesn’t like to have its buses drive into parking lots of businesses for safety and maneuverability reasons.
Mancini said improvements have been made to the service in other regards, including HD cameras in buses, and a fully accessible fleet, but there is more to do.
He said he hopes some solutions will be found in the Integrated Mobility Plan.
Ikea offers shuttle bus service in other cities, according to its website.
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