Feeling the squeeze on Metrobus? The city says there's no quick fix for crowding problems

Metrobus is having difficulty handling an unprecedented increase in ridership — and there's no solution to overcrowding in sight.

According to management, the St. John's bus system typically records 3.1 to 3.2 million rides a year; in 2023, that number is expected to balloon to 4.5 million.

St. John's Coun. Ron Ellsworth, who also chairs the city's transportation commission, acknowledged the overcrowding issues — but said there's no immediate solution.

"We're not going to be able to solve it at this point," he told CBC News in a recent interview. "We certainly understand the frustration and we certainly want to work to alleviate it as much as we can."

Earlier this year, the city announced it was partnering with the federal and provincial governments to purchase eight new buses. However, only two of those buses will be additions to the fleet; the rest will replace existing buses — and they won't arrive until some time in 2024. There are currently 55 buses in the fleet.

Shauna Higdon, who takes the bus to classes at College of the North Atlantic, said she's been taking the bus for about four years and she's never seen it so crowded.

"Every time I take the bus, both to and from, the bus is completely full to the point where they're having to turn people away because there's no room for people to even stand up," Higdon said.

Ellsworth said the city will look at increasing service levels to match the increased ridership in the final quarter of 2024 — more than a year from now.

In the meantime, Ellsworth said Metrobus is using the community bus, a service usually reserved for senior citizens, to help pick up the slack. He said the city is partnering with Memorial University to add on-demand service to Route 15, which travels between the St. John's and Battery campuses.

Ellsworth said Metrobus is also adjusting some routes and the city is looking at changing the timing of some traffic lights to make schedules more efficient.

"It's about gaining time and being able to move the buses a little bit faster, maximizing the resources that we have," he said.

Ellsworth said Metrobus is planning a study to find out more about the reasons behind the increased ridership. He said the city needs the information before investing in additional buses.

Ugonna Ani, who moved from Nigeria to St. John's about a month ago, said her experience using the bus has been mostly positive — except when she found herself taking the wrong routes.

"I found it difficult to navigate my way," she said.