Transit Cape Breton rider challenges mayor, council to try it for a week

Two regular riders of Transit Cape Breton, and a third person who gave up on it and bought a car, are challenging municipal leaders to see for themselves what it's like to ride the bus every day.

The three came together for a panel on CBC Cape Breton's Information Morning to talk about why they like public transit and what they don't like about the existing service.

Peter Steele, a native of New Waterford who now lives in Whitney Pier, says he's found over the years that he doesn't need a car most of the time and regularly takes the bus.

Needs improvement

"It does need a lot of improving because it can be very irregular," Steele says. "I hate the fact that when something breaks down, you'll be waiting at a bus stop and nothing is sent to relieve it."

Steele also says he takes cabs to visit people in the hospital in the evening, because the buses have stopped running.

Steele says transit management needs to keep a closer eye on drivers who don't keep to their schedules; it needs to beef up certain runs — New Waterford, for example — where he says the service is so irregular, people are "almost forced not to use the bus."

And maintenance is a ongoing issue with older model buses, he says.

Choosing transit

Retired Cape Breton University professor Elizabeth Beaton says she has chosen not to own a car and uses transit to go to the Y daily, for doctors appointments, to do shopping and to go to the university.

But using transit means adjusting your schedule to suit the buses, she says.

"If you have an appointment at a certain time, you have to leave an hour and a half early to go on a 20-minute drive."

She acknowledges the financial restrictions on the Cape Breton Regional Municipality, but believes it's a false economy not to invest in transit.

'It's always subsidized'

"No city, no municipality in the world has a transit service that pays for itself," she said. "It's always subsidized, but it's a very positive thing. It's an investment."

Sharon Atha of Lingan Road became friends with Peter Steele while riding the bus.

She eventually bought a car because the bus service took too long to get her to work and home again.

She's done research into what happens when a community invests in its transit system and believes it can only benefit CBRM.

"I think it would increase local buying," she said. "We'd attract people, especially Millennials that aren't buying cars."

Atha says using transit allows people to save money to make investments in their future.

Decision-makers don't know

Steele says one of the problems with the languishing transit system is that the people making decisions about its funding and future don't ride the bus.

"I'm willing to bet there's no one on council in CBRM that takes transit on a regular basis," he says.

"And I challenge each and every one of them, including our mayor: Take one specific week where you do everything you need to do by transit and see just what the rest of the people in this municipality have to deal with."