IQ Shuttle has not acquired bus stop permits from city

Published 10:40 am Thursday, November 27, 2025 By William Koblensky Varela, Local Journalism Initiative Northern News Services A future transit service in Iqaluit is advertising for bus drivers, but hasn’t received permits for its stops around the city, a municipal spokesperson told Nunavut News. Nunavut Marketing Delivery Services has pitched a bus route called IQ Shuttle stretching from the airport to Apex, and received a licence to advertise the privately-owned transit service in February. But the City of Iqaluit said IQ Shuttle doesn’t yet have the go ahead to operate. “An incomplete development permit application was subsequently submitted on Friday, Nov. 14 for several proposed bus stop locations on municipal property,” Geoffrey Byrne, communications manager for the City of Iqaluit, said on Nov. 18. City is still needs to get all the proper documents to begin a formal review, which could take four to five weeks, according to Byrne. “Planning staff have been requesting the outstanding materials,” he said. The owner of Nunavut Marketing Delivery Services, Jacinto Marques, there are only a handful of changes to iron out for the bus stop permit application. “There were a few minor adjustments and fixes to be considered complete. We are actively working with the City of Iqaluit to finalize all the necessary documentation,” Marques said. On Nov. 13, IQ Shuttle posted a job advertisement on Facebook for a full-time driver from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. and a part time driver from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. The pay is listed at $30 to $33 per hour and comes with a room in shared staff housing. The 32-seat IQ Shuttle bus was parked at Queen Elizabeth Way and Amaaq Street in downtown Iqaluit for several months, but is no longer at that location. In February, Marques told city council that IQ Shuttle would take 45 minutes to complete all stops from Apex to the airport and would operate from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. weekdays, and on Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fares for the bus service were said to be $8 per person, while children under 10 could ride for free, and monthly passes would be available. Taxi service in Iqaluit is $9.50 per person.