Iqaluit Transit plans to officially launch new bus service in mid-January
CBC
There’s a new set of wheels outside Nunavut Marketing as the company looks to expand to a new kind of delivery service.
The company is preparing to launch Iqaluit Transit, a privately funded bus service across the capital. Once it does, it will be the first time Iqalummiut will have access to a bus service since 2005 when the City of Iqaluit cut the service from its budget because it was too expensive to run.
The business shipped up a new Freightliner bus from Ottawa last month, expanding their bus fleet to two.
Iqaluit Transit owner Jacinto Marques it’s important the new service is accessible and reliable for Iqalummiut.
“The taxi is $9.50, which is very expensive,” he said. “We wanted to make it affordable for the community of Iqaluit.”
Adult fare will be $5, with elders paying $4 and kids 12 and under will ride for free.
Marques says the planned route will have 18 stops from Apex to the airport, but the stops haven’t been decided yet.
The bus will run from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays, with shortened services on Saturday and no service on Sunday.
Riders will be able to pay through cash, credit card or an Iqaluit Transit card.
Iqaluit resident Don Kunuk says this new service has been a long time coming.
“New bus in Iqaluit? It's about time,” Kunuk said. “Sometimes we have to walk to stores. I like it,” he said of the new incoming service.
Derek Allerton, another resident, added that if you’re not walking or taking a cab, the bus will be a great third option to have in Iqaluit for transportation.
Marques says he bought the first bus two years ago, but has dealt with road blocks including a fire at the business, the first bus being broken into and working with the City on the proposed bus stop locations.
“There's been some delays in the permits and stuff like that because we do need permission to access some of the public areas,” Marques said. “We [are] working with the city to ensure that it's proceeding, it's going according to plan.”
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