Saint John Transit

Infobox Bus transit
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founded = 1979
headquarters = Lorne F. Lawless Transit Centre
951 Fairville Blvd., Saint John
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service_area = Saint John, Grand Bay-Westfield, Rothesay, Quispamsis, Hampton
service_type = bus service
alliance =
routes = 19 local. 3 regional.
destinations =
stops =
hubs = King Square North; Lancaster Mall; Place 400; Metcalf St; McAllister Place
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fleet = 53 vehicles
ridership = 2,500,000 annually 3,000,000 annually anticipated with commencement of ComeX
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operator = Saint John Transit Commission
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website = [http://www.thinktransit.com Official website]

The Saint John Transit Commission was established in 1979 to provide scheduled transit service to the city. It is the largest public transit system in New Brunswick in terms of both mileage and passengers. Ridership on Saint John Transit’s system is about 2.5 million passengers per year and growing.

Saint John Transit’s ridership is approximately 50 percent higher than the average for Canadian cities with a population of between 50,000 and 150,000.

History

The agency's roots trace back to their six predecessors:: People's Street Railway Company 1869-1876: Saint John City Railway Company 1887-1892: Consolidated Electric Company 1892-1897: Saint John Railway Company 1897-1917: New Brunswick Power Company 1917-1948: City Transit Limited 1948-1979

Routes

*1 East (Rothesay Ave.)
*2 East (Ellerdale St.)
*3 West (Rothesay Ave.)
*4 West (Ellerdale St.)
*5 North End
*6 Mt. Pleasant
*7 South End
*10 Millidgeville
*11 Fundy Heights
*12 Portland Place
*13 Milford
*14 Fairville
*15 Hospital-UNBSJ (Millidge Ave.)
*16 Hospital-UNBSJ (Churchill Blvd.)
*17 Forest Glen
*18 Michael Crescent
*19 Champlain-Lakewood
*20 Red Head
*21 Champlain Express
*22 Loch Lomond
*25 Martinon
*27 Harbour Bridge
*ComeX Grand Bay-Westfield
*ComeX Rothesay-Quispamsis
*ComeX Hampton
*UNB Night Owl Route

Wheelchair - Accessible Low Floor (ALF) route.

Wireless Internet Connectivity.

Current Fleet

Saint John Transit maintains an active fleet of approximately 47 buses.
*RTS Legend Rts bus
*GM Classic Classic (transit bus)
*Orion VII Low Entry and Orion VII Low Entry "Next Generation" Orion Bus These buses are wheelchair accessible and are equipped with bike racks mounted on the front - a gift from the Greater Saint John Community Foundation to encourage multimodal, healthy environmentally friendly public transportation.

As of September 2007, Saint John Transit has 15 low-floor buses in the fleet with 7 additional low-floor buses on order from DaimlerChrysler, Orion Bus division. 4 of these buses are dedicated solely to ComeX.

Past Fleet

*GM "New Look" GM New Look (Fishbowl) Bus
*GM "Old Look" GM "old-look" transit bus

ComeX (Community Express)

Comex is a BRT (bus rapid transit) service that provides morning and after work service to citizens in outlying areas to and from Uptown Saint John. ComeX serves residents of Grand Bay-Westfield, Rothesay, Quispamsis and Hampton from Monday to Friday. Four buses form the basis of the ComeX service. ComeX was made possible through funding from the Government of Canada and support from the Province of New Brunswick.

Grand Bay-Westfield has 3 runs in the morning and 3 in the afternoon/evening, while Rothesay and Quispamsis has 6 runs in the morning and 6 in the afternoon/evening. The last run in the morning and the last run in the evening begin at McAllister Place. Hampton has 3 runs in the morning and 3 in the afternoon/evening. The last run in the morning and the last run in the evening begins at McAllister Place .

The service utilizes the DaimlerChrysler Orion VII Next Generation Bus. http://www.orionbus.com/orionSaint John Transit purchased the first Orion VII Next Generation bus to roll off the assembly line in Mississauga, Ontario.http://www.masstransitmag.com/web/online/Industry-Announcements/DaimlerChrysler-Delivers-First-Orion-VII-Next-Generation-to-Saint-John-Transit-/1$3867

Employees

In 2001 there were 92 bus drivers, mechanics and dispatchers represented by the Amalgamated Transit Union locals 1182 and 1229.

Current Issues and Developments

*Saint John Transit is in the process of selling their current transit HQ and depot on Fairville Blvd. to a developer to make room for a new power centre. The new depot will be located on McDonald St. in East Saint John across from Loch Lomond Place. This centralized location close to major routes will save the commission fuel, as opposed to being located an industrial park, where the fuel costs could possibly be higher.

*In 2005 the ATU Local 1182 representing Saint John Transit workers tried to enter and share in the City Of Saint John pension plan. The City of Saint John has indicated that if ATU 1182 had the support of the International Association of Fire Fighter's Union 771, Saint John Police Union Local 61, Inside Workers Union 18 and Outside Workers Local 486 there would be no need to fight for a pension in court.

The City of Saint John Pension Board has claimed that the transit workers are not City employees because they belong to a "transit commission." It is, however, in the opinion of ATU that the bus drivers have been employed by the city-run commission since 1979. The issue is currently tied up in the courts.

*The City of Saint John, along with the Federal and Provincial governments are investing in ComeX to reduce auto emissions. With the implementation of ComeX, greenhouse gas emissions are projected to drop by 1,500 metric tonnes and downtown traffic will decrease by 800 vehicles a day over the next five years. http://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/communities-collectivites/news-nouvelles/2007/20070115saintjohn_e.shtml

*Saint John City Council has asked Federal MP Paul Zed to look into consolidating Saint John City Transit with the Saint John Port Authority, Saint John Airport and Saint John Parking Commission. http://telegraphjournal.canadaeast.com/search/article/49151

*Transit service will be extended to Latimore Lake. http://telegraphjournal.canadaeast.com/search/article/49937

External links

* [http://www.thinktransit.com Saint John Transit] Official web site
* [http://home.cc.umanitoba.ca/~wyatt/alltime/saint-john-nb.html History of Transit in Saint John]
* [http://www.ucalgary.ca/~wjandrea/msctransit/ Moving Forward: Public Transit in Canadian Mid-sized Cities]
* [http://www.atu.org Amalgamated Transit Union]
* [http://davesrailpix.com/odds/nb/nb.htm Old Saint John Street Car Photos]