Transit surge in Charlottetown area shows 'desire to change the culture from cars,' councillor says

T3 Transit, which serves the greater Charlottetown area, has seen some remarkable growth in the last year.

From September 2022 to September 2023, ridership was up 39 per cent in Stratford, 49 per cent in Charlottetown, and 54 per cent in Cornwall.

"It's great to see," said Cornwall Coun. Corey Frizzell. "Our council and the previous council, we've done a lot to try to expand services with transit, increasing routes as well as expanding some of the areas of Cornwall where the buses actually go."

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The town council has taken note that when stops are closer to a concentration of houses, more people will hop on a bus, he said. Cornwall not only has more neighbourhoods served now, but an evening bus has been added that leaves Charlottetown at 9 p.m. en route to the growing community just west of it.

The story is similar to the east of Charlottetown, in Stratford, with more buses running in the midday hours.

"It's showing us that [there is] the desire to change the culture from cars and less efficient methods of transportation," said Stratford Coun. Jody Jackson.

"It makes us feel really good about where we're going and really keen to hear how we can… enhance those numbers further."

There are more routes in Charlottetown as well, says T3 Transit owner Mike Cassidy.

As well as the route changes, he also credits some major initiatives born in the spring of 2022 with provincial backing: a $20 monthly transit pass for adults, and free rides for kindergarten to Grade 12 students.

"These programs have kicked in," said Cassidy.

"We have increased monthly passes, increased K to 12, and it's just driving the numbers."

T3 currently has 550 school-age passengers every day, said Cassidy, and the number of monthly pass holders has grown from 1,200 in September 2022 to 2,500 last month.

The three communities served by T3 have hired a consultant to write a report on the future of transit in Greater Charlottetown, and both Jackson and Frizzell are optimistic that study will confirm their belief that there is a hunger for even more transit in the capital area.

Public meetings are being held this week as part of that report, and an online survey is open until Oct. 29.