Canadian Legislative Updates



New Vehicle Tracking Technology Announced In New Brunswick

A new global positioning system (GPS) for buses in Saint John has formally been launched, as announced by Rodney Weston, Member of Parliament for Saint John, Glen Tait, Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Saint John East, and His Worship Ivan Court, Mayor of Saint John.

The new technology, dubbed "NextBus", has been officially added to Saint John Transit's fleet.  The system will play an active role in alerting passengers when the next bus will arrive at any given bus stop, via the Internet, mobile devices, and signs at key locations.  The ultimate outcome of this new system will help reduce wait times and the need for printed schedules for transit riders.

MLA Glen Tait highlighted that the system will make passengers' travel experience more convenient and appealing, and in turn will allow for increased ridership and have a positive effect on the environment.

NextBus, which uses global positioning satellite information, has been added to Saint John Transit's full fleet of sixty buses.  The project cost $280,000 and was completely funded through funds allocated to the province by the federal Public Transit Capital Trust 2008.