New BrunswickA new on-demand service was introduced this summer by Fredericton Transit to meet the needs of riders in Silverwood and Lincoln after regular bus routes to those areas were cut.Transit manager says Silverwood and Lincoln residents can book trips on an app ‘just like an Uber’Fredericton Transit’s manager Charlene Sharpe says the initial reaction to the service was positive. (Shane Fowler/CBC)A new on-demand service introduced this summer by Fredericton Transit aims to meet the needs of riders in Silverwood and Lincoln after regular bus routes to those areas were cut.On-demand is a model that allows residents to book a trip through an app or by calling a phone number.The Fredericton service replaces bus Route 18, which ran from the downtown to the Lincoln Heights area in the east, and Route 20, from the downtown to the Silverwood and Woodstock Road areas in the west.”It’s very convenient,” said Charlene Sharpe, Fredericton Transit manager. “You can call in advance or just like Uber, you can call the same day.”When they book a ride, residents are provided a wait time, which can range from a few minutes to 45 minutes, and it’s constantly updated Sharpe said. Riders are then picked up by a shuttle bus at the stop closest to them along the old bus route. The service began July 10 and operates from 6:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. and from 3:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., connecting people to transit hubs such as the Kings Place, Regent and the Brookside malls.In a email statement, Fredericton Transit said that ridership has increased since the on-demand service was launched, going from a total of 84 trips in the first week to 273 trips the week of Aug.18.Sharpe says the shuttle used in the on-demand service has the capacity for eight people and one wheelchair user, with the possibility of adding four more seats if ridership grows. (Shane Fowler/CBC)The service costs $3, the same as the regular bus, and the usual payment options, such as tap and bus passes, are also available. Sharpe said ridership on the two routes had been dropping, and this change was one recommended in the 2019 strategic plan.Sharpe explained that the minimum threshold of ridership on a bus route is an average of 10 passengers an hour. In 2025, both routes averaged 50 passengers a day, and in 2024, that average was around 56 a day.”We just didn’t meet that minimum threshold for our service standard, and we wanted to still provide a service for those communities, but it had to be a different service,” she said. Not convenient for everyone Brad McPherson, who has lived in Lincoln Heights since 2009, said he is trying to be positive about the changes. He doesn’t drive and since he moved to the area, he said, public transit has been his main form of transportation. Before the change, he was able to catch a bus from his neighbourhood during a two-hour window in the early morning, and a two-hour window in the late afternoon.McPherson blamed a drop in ridership on this limited service, and he hopes the on-demand service does a better job meeting Lincoln and Silverwood’s needs.But he has tried to use the new service a couple of times and changed his mind after learning the wait would be 30 to 40 minutes. This is not a “true on-demand system,” he said.”I’ve never taken it because it’s not convenient,” said McPherson, who would rather walk to catch a bus along a route that does get service.McPherson said that instead of cuts to routes, he’d rather improvements to encourage greater use of public transit.”I’m very pleased with the overall changes that the city has made to the transit. I think they are moving in the right direction [with the] increased services, Sunday services. But I think if you are going to do it for one area of the city, it’s got to be for all areas of the city.”We should all be benefiting from the same service offerings.”Not a new model in New BrunswickSharpe said Fredericton Transit took some inspiration from Dieppe and Saint John when it set up the on-demand system. In 2021, Dieppe became first city in the province to introduce an on-demand service, which it named Blaise Transit.In Saint John, on-demand service was introduced in 2023 under the name Flex Service. Sharpe said Fredericton Transit is continually adjusting its service to meet transit needs.”The biggest challenge is understanding what customers would want,” she said. “That’s why you work through those things, [and] find out their needs.”ABOUT THE AUTHORKatherine Del Salto is a reporter at CBC New Brunswick in Fredericton. You can reach her at katherine.del.salto@cbc.ca.
Fredericton Transit tries on-demand service in 2 areas where ridership has declined
