Pilot project aims to make public transit more accessible, affordable in 3 N.S. towns

A new pilot project in Nova Scotia is aiming to make transit more accessible and affordable in three towns.

The province says it is providing the Nova Scotia Community Transportation Network non-profit $350,000 to run the project in Antigonish, Bridgewater and Pictou.

“Our roads are getting busier and busier and they’re often filled with vehicles occupied by one person going to work, school, shops and services they need for their daily lives,” said Minister of Natural Resources and Renewables Tory Rushton in a provincial news release.

• The information you need to know, sent directly to you: Download the CTV News App

“We want to make public transit the easiest option possible.”

Under the project, transit hours, and/or days of service, will be extended and fares will be reduced.

The Nova Scotia Community Transportation Network says it is excited to take on the project.

“A big piece of our organization’s mission is to develop practical and innovative solutions to the transportation challenges faced by fellow Nova Scotians. This project does exactly that; it makes public transit move available, more affordable and more of a viable option to move about our communities on a daily basis,” said the network’s provincial coordinator, Leslie Taylor.

The first phase of the project will begin this year.

The province says transportation accounts for one-third of greenhouse gas emissions in Nova Scotia.

"There's a need for public transit and if we can get commuters to utilize public transit, it means less vehicles on the road, less emissions,” said Rushton.

“So, this is the pilot project that we are going to be reviewing over the course of a few months, a year or two years and see what can develop for other rural communities in Nova Scotia."

For more Nova Scotia news visit our dedicated provincial page.