A group dedicated to public transit says the City of St. John’s dropped the ball when it reduced the operating subsidy to Metrobus.
Citing an increase in ridership of 44 per cent over the past few years and higher revenue, Dr. David Brake of the Essential Transit Association says the city should be going in the other direction with the subsidy. The grant to public transit will drop by over a million dollars next year but Brake says the city should be bringing in measures to expand the service.
(Photo via Happy City St. John’s)
He says the city’s own plans call for an increase of 66 per cent in the number of riders by 2030. He says the future growth plan is already well overdue.
Expanding the bus service could make a big difference in the cost of living for a person.
Brake estimates using the bus instead of running a car could sav somebody about $10,000 per year.
Metrobus has added zip routes over the past few years, increasing the frequency of some of the more heavily travelled routes.
