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
DEVELOPING Man sets self on fire outside New York court where Trump trial underway
A man set himself on fire on Friday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial was taking place as jury selection wrapped up, but officials said he did not appear to have been targeting Trump.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
'It could be catastrophic': Woman says natural supplement contained hidden painkiller drug
A Manitoba woman thought she found a miracle natural supplement, but said a hidden ingredient wreaked havoc on her health.
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
Vicious attack on a dog ends with charges for northern Ont. suspect
Police in Sault Ste. Marie charged a 22-year-old man with animal cruelty following an attack on a dog Thursday morning.
The Body Shop Canada explores sale as demand outpaces inventory: court filing
The Body Shop Canada is exploring a sale as it struggles to get its hands on enough inventory to keep up with "robust" sales after announcing it would file for creditor protection and close 33 stores.
Tropical fish stolen from Beachburg, Ont. restaurant found and returned
Ontario Provincial Police have landed a suspect following a fishy theft in Beachburg, Ont.
U.S. FAA launches investigation into unauthorized personnel in cockpit of Colorado Rockies flight to Toronto
The U.S.’s Federal Aviation Administration is investigating a video that appears to show unauthorized personnel in the cockpit of a charted Colorado Rockies flight to Toronto.