Metrobus Transit

Metrobus
Slogan Get on. Be moved.
Founded 1958
Headquarters 245 Freshwater Road, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
Service area St. John's, Mount Pearl, and Paradise
Service type Public transit
Routes 22
Stops 833
Stations 2
Fleet 53
Annual ridership 3.1 million[1]
Fuel type Diesel
Operator St. John's Transportation Commission (City of St. John's)
General Manager Judy Powell
Website metrobus.com

Metrobus is a public transport system owned by the City of St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. It operates a fleet of diesel buses. A total of 22 bus routes serve St. John's and its western suburbs of Mount Pearl and Paradise, carrying approximately 3.1 million passengers in 2009.

History

Metrobus Transit was established in 1958, and is operated by the St. John's Transportation Commission, a board consisting of six members from various areas of the region.

Metrobus Transit currently operates 22 routes. Routes travel around the cities of St. John's and Mount Pearl and service major destinations including the Avalon Mall, Village Shopping Centre, Memorial University, Confederation Building, College of the North Atlantic, Marine Institute, Mile One Centre, and downtown St. John's. An experimental extension of the Metrobus network into Paradise has also begun as of 2016, with a new route providing access to a hub at the Double Ice Complex arena.[2]

In recent years, Metrobus was plagued by two strikes in 2004 and 2010 respectively. The first of those strikes lasted roughly two weeks, and wages were the key issue in that dispute; while the introduction of a 50/50 cost-sharing health benefit system was the key issue in the 2010 dispute. The latter dispute lasted about three months, and was settled with a modest pay hike on January 27, 2011. After the latter strike was settled, service resumed on January 31, 2011 and rides were free until Valentine's Day, while the remainder of February 2011 it would cost one dollar to ride the bus. This promotion was designed to bring riders back on the buses after the 2010-11 strike. Needless to say, ridership did drop by March 2011.

In 2012, Metrobus Transit acquired nine new fully accessible Nova LFS Smart Buses and plan to purchase twenty-one additional buses by 2017. The Smart Bus technology on these buses can improve fuel economy by up to 18% and significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. From the outside, the new buses look very similar to the other 23 low-floor buses already in its fleet, however, are fully accessible and include a wheelchair ramp and other related equipment.[3]

Fares

Category Cash Fare 30-Day Pass 10 rides
Adult $2.25 $70.00 $20.00
Child $1.75 $45.00 $15.00
Senior $2.25 $45.00 $20.00

In addition, Student Semester Passes are available for Memorial University, Marine Institute and College of the North Atlantic students, at a cost of $245 for four months.[4] In 2006, Metrobus Transit upgraded its fare system to use a smart card system called the m-Card, which replaces tickets and monthly passes with a reloadable card and offers a points and rewards loyalty program.[5]

Bus fleet

Metrobus Transit currently operates a fleet of 53 Nova Buses.

Routes

Metrobus operates most routes year-round, with the exception of Routes 13, 24 and 26 not operating during the summer (late June - September) schedules. Primary and base routes usually operate at a 30-minute frequency on weekdays, with 60-minute frequency during the evenings and on weekends. Routes 1, 2, 3 and 10 operate at a 15-minute frequency during peak periods at between key points.

Route 30 entered service on June 27, 2016, during the Metrobus summer schedule's period of operation, serving 55 new bus stops within the Town of Paradise.

Route # Route Name Class Description
1 Village - MUN/CNA/MI (Accessible) Primary Begins in west end at Village Mall, services Cashin Ave, Memorial University, College of the North Atlantic and the Marine Institute.
2 Village - Pleasantville - Avalon Mall (Accessible) Primary U-shaped line between servicing the LeMarchant Road corridor between the Village Mall and Pleasantville, in addition to the Elizabeth Avenue corridor between Pleasantville and the Avalon Mall.
3a Village - Downtown - Carrick Dr via Stavanger (Accessible) Primary Begins in west end at Village Mall, services Downtown St. John's and continues north along the Torbay Road corridor to Stavanger Drive and Carrick Dr.
3b Village - Downtown - Highland Dr via Stavanger (Accessible) Primary Begins in the west end at the Village Mall, services Downtown St. John's and continues north along the Torbay Rd corridor to Stavanger Dr/white rose Dr and back down Torbay Rd to Highland Dr
5 Avalon Mall - Mun Centre - Pleasantville (Accessible) Local Evening and Sunday service between the Avalon Mall and Pleasantville, along Elizabeth Avenue.
6 Village - Sesame Park - Waterford - Downtown Local Begins in west end at Village Mall, services the Sesame Park - Waterford Valley subdivision and looping at Water Street downtown.
9 MUN/MI/CNA - Torbay Road - East White Hills Local Daytime only service between Memorial University, the Marine Institute area, Torbay Road, and Logy Bay Rd/East White Hills area.
10 Downtown - MUN Centre - Avalon Mall - Kelsey Drive Primary Well-traveled route from Downtown St. John's to Memorial University (via Merrymeeting Road), continuing to the Avalon Mall and Kelsey Drive shopping centres. Runs at 15-minute frequency in weekday evening rush hour during the school year in the area surrounding Memorial University.
11 Avalon Mall - Water st west - Shea Heights Local Runs weekdays and Saturdays between the Avalon Mall, Downtown St. John's at the corner of Water Street and Waldegrave Street, continuing west on Water Street into Shea Heights.
12 Village - Blackmarsh Rd - Freshwater Rd- Avalon Local Connects the Village Mall and Avalon Mall via Blackmarsh Road and Freshwater Road. Services the Mundy Pond and Ropewalk Lane area.
13 Village - MUN/CNA/MI (Express) Local Runs weekday mornings only, from the Village Mall along the Parkway to Memorial University. Services the Marine Institute and College of the North Atlantic. No return trips to the west end.
14 MUN Centre - Torbay RD - Airport Heights Local Runs Monday to Saturday between MUN and Airport Heights via Marine Institue and Torbay Rd.
15 Avalon Mall - MUN Centre - Georgestown - Forest Road Primary Begins the Avalon Mall, servicing Memorial University via the Baird Place subdivision. East of MUN, it serves Georgestown via Bonaventure Avenue and the downtown corridor at Military Road, ending near Quidi Vidi Lake on Forest Road.
16 Kenmount Terrace - Avalon Mall - MUN Centre Local Introduced in 2012, services Kenmount Terrace and Old Pennywell Road subdivisions, via Kenmount Road, the Avalon Mall and the Parkway.
18 Village - Kilbride - Goulds Local Services the exurban St. John's neighborhoods of Kilbride and Goulds, with the main transfer point at the Village Mall.
19 Village - Cowan Heights - Crosbie Rd - Avalon Mall Local Connects the Avalon Mall and the Village Mall through the west-end neighborhood of Cowan Heights. 21 Village - Mount Pearl Local Services the city of Mount Pearl and the Topsail Road corridor of west-end St. John's, connecting at the Village Mall.
22 Village - Mount Pearl Local Weekday morning and evening rush hour only route between Mount Pearl and the Village Mall, servicing much of Donovan's Industrial Park and Topsail Road.
23 Avalon Mall - MUN Centre - Stavanger Drive (Accessible) Local Evening and Weekend route servicing the Avalon Mall, Memorial University of Newfoundland, the Higgins Line-Bells Turn neighborhood and Stavanger Drive (via Torbay Road and Newfoundland Drive)
24 Airport Heights - MUN (Express) Local Express weekday morning one way service from Airport Heights to Memorial University.
25 Village - Kilbride - Goulds Local Rush hour only service to Kilbride and the Goulds from the Village Mall. See Route 18 for service to much of this area during other times.
26 Kenmount Terrace - MUN (Express) Local Express weekday morning one way service from Kenmount Terrace to Memorial University, servicing Kelsey Drive, Grovesdale Park and Thorburn Road.
30 Avalon Mall - Paradise Local Weekday rush hour service between Avalon Mall and the Town of Paradise, with the Double Ice Complex arena acting as Paradise's bus hub. Reverse commute service is also offered.

References

  1. ↑ Metrobus ridership dips despite best efforts CBC News July 14, 2010
  2. ↑ June 27, 2016
  3. ↑ Metrobus Transit takes delivery of nine new fully accessible low-floor buses February 24, 2012
  4. ↑ Metrobus Transit Fares Metrobus Transit November 7, 2010
  5. ↑ m-Card November 7, 2010
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