Fredericton Transit gets tech makeover

New technology will be coming to Fredericton's transit system including audio and video announcements of bus stops and electronic fare collection.

Fredericton city council approved $939,257.90 for the supply and installation of intelligent transportation and tracking system for a five-year term beginning on Dec. 1, 2022, with a renewal option for three additional five-year terms.

Fifty per cent of the funding came from the province, while the other half came from the federal government with no municipal contribution required.

Council also approved the agreement between the City of Fredericton and Consat Canada Inc. for the provision and delivery of the system.

Charlene Sharpe, the city's manager of transit and parking services, said this system is "the backbone" for providing transit service in Fredericton.

Some of the "customer-facing technology" that this system would bring, said Sharpe, includes trip planning through a website, real-time information on service delays, audio and information to customers about wait times between buses.

She said it will also allow the city to schedule service more efficiently and it includes some safety features for drivers. 

"It's really going to give us a lot of reporting tools so that we can better plan, provide a better service, find some service efficiencies and overall be able to present more information back to council on the data that we're collecting and give some good information for future decisions to be made," said Sharpe.

Coun. Bruce Grandy, chair of the city's mobility committee, said this new tech is on top of the cameras that are "coming soon" onboard buses. 

He said when trying to get more people to ride the bus, one of the biggest asks is for frequency and shorter time frames. But before they can address that, Grandy said they need to collect data on specific stops, which this system will allow them to do.

"It should be a great new experience," he said. "And there's a lot more to come on the transit side shortly."