Fredericton accessible transit program to offer more rides in 2024

When Joanne McLeod received her Order of New Brunswick on Nov. 25 for her decades of advocacy for people with mobility difficulties, she reflected on how much change she’d seen in her life.

“In the dark ages of the 50s when I started, this would have felt like an impossible dream, but there’s a lot now in place,” she said.

But she said there’s still more work to do.

“The big thing I keep coming back to is transportation,” she added.

She said there were limited resources for people with mobility difficulties to use cabs and busses, and travelling between cities is nearly impossible. But Fredericton might now be one step closer to meeting the demand for accessible transit.

The city has announced a new contract for its accessible shuttle system, Para Transit, with a private company, called Pacific Western Transportation.

The contract will come into effect on Jan. 8 and the city’s transit manager, Charlene Sharp, said part of the deal is an increase in the amount of rides Para Transit offers. She said the city is currently offering between 13,500 and 14,000 trips a year. With the new contract, she said the program will offer 15,000 rides.

“The long-term goal is to meet the demand,” she said.

Kathleen Leger is the transportation representative with the New Brunswick Coalition of People with Disabilities.

“It’s great, very glad it’s happening. I do believe, from what I’ve heard, more needs to be done, so be open to growth,” she said.

She said if people have more access to rides, they have more freedom to enjoy time with friends or concerts, and it might allow some people to get a job.

The service in Fredericton is currently offered Monday to Saturday, but a proposal for a Sunday service is up for approval in the city’s 2024 budget. Leger lives in Moncton, where accessible transit is available every day of the week.

“I would love to see what we have here in Moncton available across the province,” she said.