(Staff photo)
As winter kicks into high gear, Saint John Transit is getting ready to call more delays and cancellations.
Buses delayed to a 1 p.m. start on Sunday due to the weather until Saint John Transit decided the road conditions and visibility had improved.
General Manager Marc Dionne says it’s never an easy decision to pull buses off the roads, and one that requires lots of consultation.
“We have staff that are out evaluating the streets and we make a decision based on the safety of the public and our drivers, which is paramount to us,” he said in an interview.
“If conditions dictate that, we’ll either delay or permanently remove the service for the day.”
Dionne says the buses can withstand most bad weather, but what it really comes down to is visibility and road conditions.
“We equip them with good tires. Obviously they’re a large vehicle and harder to get around. Every hill presents its challenges but they’re as good as a car getting around, and very safe,” he said.
He says they never like to pull buses off the road, as it impacts a lot of people.
“The public relies on transit so we want to try to have buses out there and available,” he said.
But he adds that if the weather is bad enough to cancel buses, you should probably stay at home.
Dionne says if and when buses are cancelled or delayed due to weather, they’ll let residents know via social media.
