Fundy Regional Service Commission transportation director says their region-wide transit plan will look different from past efforts.
Scott Borden said the RCS will develop the plan in collaboration with mayors across the region.
He believes that would set it apart from initiatives like the Comex Service, a Saint John Transit service that aimed to connect Saint John with suburban areas such as Rothesay, Quispamsis, Hampton, and Grand Bay-Westfield.
But that was discontinued by Grand Bay-Westfield and Hampton in 2015 and 2020, respectively, due to low ridership and increased costs.
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“I think it’s a different model, compared to what it used to be, where we are saying if we do this all together and come up with this long-term plan and really stick to it, I think that makes it a more feasible service,” he said.
Comex or Route 51 was introduced in 2007 and continues to operate in Rothesay and Quispamsis, providing two morning and two evening rides to Saint John.
Borden explained that before communities negotiated individually with Saint John transit for the service.
However, with their proposed transit plan, municipalities will find the best transit option for their communities together, he said.
Borden clarified that the RSC goal is not to replace existing services, but to strengthen them to better connect communities in the region.
“We do acknowledge that the Comex exists, and so maybe we’ll look at how to strengthen that or how it fits in the broader system,” Borden said. “But for us is really looking at what existing services we have, where we can provide services in areas that may not have them, and how to integrate those.”
The commission’s service area includes:
- The Fundy Rural District.
- Grand Bay-Westfield.
- Saint John.
- Rothesay.
- Quispamsis.
- Hampton.
- Fundy-St. Martins.
According to Borden, the plan comes from a provincial government mandate to create a regional transportation system, which, in the case of the Fundy RSC, will focus on areas outside of the Saint John transit area.
The plan is still in its early stages and is being developed using feedback gathered through an RSC survey conducted over the past few months, public engagement sessions, and a University of New Brunswick study titled Transportation Needs in the Fundy Region.
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The RSC already held some pop-up events during the week of June 8 to 10 to introduce the project to residents in different communities and to get feedback on the early conceptions of the plan.
Borden said they mostly received positive feedback, and residents seem to be most interested in on-demand transit, among the options the RSC discussed during the events, which also include fixed routes and shuttle services.
However, no decisions have been made, Borden said. He emphasized that the commission plans to hold more in-depth public engagement sessions and continue working with municipalities to develop a plan collaboratively.
The commission hopes to finish the project in August or September.
However, Borden foresees that securing long-term operational funding might become a challenge, as the RSC doesn’t intend to find a one-size-fits-all solution for the municipalities.
“I think we need to be adaptable in terms of what these solutions look like,” he said. “I think for us too, it’s how this is operated long term. I think we need to be strategic about sort of it’s ramp up.”
He believes regions need to join forces to present a good case for more transit funding to the province.
Borden added that the commission will tackle this challenge as they move forward with the project.
Project will need federal and provincial support, mayor says
Grand Bay-Westfield Mayor Brittany Merrifield, who is also the chair of the RCS regional transit committee, said this project will be supported by the three levels of government.
Merrifield said the federal government has already stepped forward with public transit funding, both capital and operational.
In April, the federal government announced it was investing $100,000 to fund two planning and design projects to help develop better rural transit options in Southern New Brunswick.
Fundy RSC received $50,000 to complete a comprehensive public strategy and incorporate these findings into the transit planning process.
While, the Southeast RSC also received $50,000 to undertake comprehensive public transportation research.
While the province mandated RSCs create regional transportation, it hasn’t promised any funding to support this project.
Merrifield said the province should also provide support, as she believes better connectivity between municipalities can contribute to New Brunswick’s economy.
“It’s an economic development issue,” she said. “Anything that can contribute to the provincial GDP is something that I think is important for the provincial order of government to help support.”
She added that federal and provincial funding is also required because residential taxpayers “can’t pay for everything.”
“When you put a transit system is never going to be self-funding; it’s always going to need to be subsidized, and so it’s important for everyone to be on board,” Merrifield said.
