Transit in Sudbury celebrates 50 years of service with free rides
To celebrate half a century of municipal transit service, residents in Greater Sudbury can ride the buses free of charge Sept. 28.
Brendan Adair, the city's director of transit services, said the goal is to get more people using the bus.
“I really am hopeful that people will see transit as something that they can use on a regular basis and that automobile traffic will decrease," Adair said.
"It will benefit us by reducing traffic, reducing pollution,” added Tracy Gour, member of the Friends of Sudbury Transit group.
Getting more people using the bus will help reduce greenhouse gases, as is the city's hope to convert its fleet from diesel to electric. A feasibility study will provide many answers, Adair said.
"It looks at things like ridership, topography and our temperature -- and that’s a big thing here in Sudbury," he said.
The goal is to come up with "a plan that we can then bring to council for a recommendation to eventually transfer through to battery electric buses and that aligns with our seat plan that envisions us being fully electric by 2035.”
Adair said about 14,000 people a day currently ride the bus every day, about 80 per cent of ridership before the COVID-19 pandemic.
"That means people have come back and people trust the system," he said.
"We understand that there is now people who work from home and travel patterns have changed since the pandemic, so we’re looking to engage those new riders and help them in the new system.”
While ridership numbers are improving, Adair said staff is always looking at ways to improve the service.
“I’d love to be able to get on and connect to Wi-Fi," he said.
"I’d love to be able to get on and not have to carry money.”
The transit service is looking into the possibility of an app that would it make it easier for riders to better understand the bus service as a whole.
For more information on Free Transit Day click here.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Serial sexual offender linked to unsolved 1970s homicides of four Calgary girls, women
An investigation into unsolved historical homicides from the 1970s has linked the deaths of two girls and two young women in and around Calgary to a now-deceased serial offender.
Woman with liver failure rejected for a transplant after medical review highlights alcohol use
For nearly three months, Amanda Huska has been in an Ontario hospital, part of it on life support, because of severe liver failure. Her history of alcohol use is getting in the way of her only potential treatment: a liver transplant.
Video appears to show Sean 'Diddy' Combs beating singer Cassie in hotel hallway in 2016
Security video aired by CNN appears to show Sean 'Diddy' Combs physically assaulting singer Cassie in a Los Angeles hotel hallway in 2016.
Scottie Scheffler isn't the first pro golfer to be arrested during a tournament
Scottie Scheffler's arrest hours before his second-round tee time at the PGA Championship in Louisville, Kentucky, will go down as one of the most shocking in professional golf history. It certainly wasn't the first, though.
B.C. man 'attacked suddenly' by adult grizzly near Alberta border: RCMP
A B.C. man is recovering from multiple injuries after he was "attacked suddenly" by an adult grizzly bear near Elkford Thursday afternoon.
Anglers reel in 3.5-metre-long tiger shark off coast of Florida: 'She found my bait'
A group of fishers said it took roughly 20 minutes to reel in this 3.5-metre-long tiger shark off the coast of Florida.
Australia's richest woman seeks removal of her portrait from exhibition
Art is subjective. And while many artists long to share their work with the world, there's no guarantee that the audience will understand it, or even like it.
Canadian convicted of attacking Nancy Pelosi's husband with a hammer sentenced to 30 years
The man convicted of attempting to kidnap then-U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and attacking her husband with a hammer was sentenced Friday to 30 years in prison.
Israeli military finds bodies of 3 Gaza hostages killed at music festival
Israeli military says its troops in Gaza found the bodies of three Israeli hostages taken by Hamas during its Oct. 7 attack, including German-Israeli Shani Louk.