Jenica Atwin, Member of Parliament for Fredericton, on behalf of the Honorable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities, and Her Worship Kate Rogers, Mayor of Fredericton, announced joint funding for enhancements to local public transit.
Through this funding, the city of Fredericton will acquire a closed-circuit television (CCTV) system and an automatic passenger counting (APC) system for each of its 28 fixed-route buses and three paratransit buses. Funds will also support changes to bus stops that will make them easier for persons with mobility disabilities to use. This investment will also contribute towards the purchase of a new, low-floor, accessible urban transit bus, which will replace an existing bus in the fleet that has reached the end of its usable life.
"On behalf of my colleagues at City Council, I want to thank the Government of Canada for [its] contribution to improving Fredericton's transit system. A new transit bus, automatic passenger counters, a closed circuit television system and ongoing efforts to make our transit stops more accessible will help with the implementation of initiatives identified in our 2019 Transit Strategic Plan and support our overarching goal of increasing ridership in our capital city," said Her Worship Kate Rogers, Mayor of Fredericton.
Improvements are focused on capacity, safety and accessibility. Public transit is a core resource within a community, helping people affordably get where they need to go, supporting workers and businesses with improved traffic flows, and reducing overall carbon emissions. The Government of Canada's investment in this project will help make the transit system more comfortable, safe and usable for more Frederictonians.
The Government of Canada is investing more than C$452,000 (US$354,133) through the Public Transit Infrastructure Stream of the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program. The City of Fredericton is investing more than C$679,000 (US$531,983).
"The benefits of investing in public transit are clear – they make our communities greener and more inclusive. This funding will improve Fredericton's transit system to make it safer, easier to access, and more capable of meeting the needs of Frederictonians, especially those who rely on public transit to get to work or school," said Jenica Atwin, Member of Parliament for Fredericton, on behalf of the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities.
