Saint John Transit is preparing to roll out more service enhancements after the Canada Day long weekend.
On-demand transit will expand to another neighbourhood and more frequent service will be offered on one of the city’s busiest routes.
Starting Monday, most areas in Millidgeville currently served by Route 25 (Millidgeville/North) will now be serviced by FLEX Millidgeville.
Rather than driving on a route where passengers are not waiting, buses will be sent to where and when a call for service is made.
Bus service will be available from 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. on weekdays and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturdays. Currently, Route 25 operates from 9:45 a.m. to 4:40 p.m. from Monday through Saturday.
Riders can travel stop-to-stop within the zone or transfer to Routes 3 or 9 North at a new stop at 608 Millidge Avenue (old fire station). Riders who want to transfer to Routes 3 or 9 East will transfer at the existing stop at Millidge Avenue and University Avenue.
Users can arrange their ride up six days in advance through the Saint John Transit Flex app or by calling transit dispatch at 506-652-3539. Telephone booking hours are from 6:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays.
Transit officials say the goal is to have the bus arrive at the requested stop within 30 minutes of a rider’s request.
The new FLEX zone does not include University Avenue. As well, transit stops along Sandy Point Road and beyond Brothers Cove on Kennebecasis Drive will be eliminated.
Meanwhile, residents in the north end who use Route 25 will continue to have fixed-route service through the new Route 24 North End.
It will run from Metcalf Street through the north end and back to Place 400, where transferring will be available every 15 minutes.
Hourly service will begin at 6:30 a.m. and continue to 5:45 p.m. Monday to Friday. Saturday service runs from 10:30 a.m. to 5:45 p.m.
Changes coming to other routes
Riders on several other transit routes throughout the city will also notice some changes starting Monday.
On weekdays, Route 1 will run every 15 minutes during peak hours — 6:35 to 10 a.m. and 2:35 to 6:30 p.m. — with half-hour service the rest of the day. Saturday and Sunday service will remain unchanged.
The line, which is the second most used in the city, runs from the Irving Oil Field House on the east side to Lancaster Mall on the west Side.
Route 3E will start 30 minutes earlier on weekdays, beginning at UNB Saint John at 6 a.m. Both Route 3N and 3E will also end 30 minutes later in the evening.
The last trip on Route 3N will depart from McAllister Place at 10:20 p.m. and arrive at UNB at 11 p.m., while the last trip on Route 3E will leave UNB at 11 p.m. and arrive at McAllister Place at 11:40 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday service on Routes 3E and 3N will remain unchanged.
Route 15S (Harbour Bridge) will start 30 minutes earlier on weekdays, with the first run leaving Lancaster Mall at 6:20 a.m.
Route 20 (Wright Street) will begin earlier and continue later on weekdays, with hourly service starting at 6:10 a.m. and ending at 6:25 p.m. It used to operate between 7:40 a.m. and 6:05 p.m. Saturday service will be hourly from 9:50 a.m. to 5:25 p.m.
Route 21 (South End) and Route 23 (Crescent Valley) will also start earlier in the morning and continue later into the evening on weekdays.
Buses will run every 30 minutes between 6:25 a.m. and 6:20 pm, with hourly service continuing until 9:20 p.m. Service previously ran hourly between 7:35 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. There will be no changes to Saturday service.
You can find more details on the changes on Saint John Transit’s website.
