KT asks for public assistance to tweak Brooklyn run

BY NADINE ARMSTRONG

The Hants Journal

NovaNewsNow.com

Kings Transit held a public meeting at the Brooklyn Fire Hall March 6 to address issues with the Brooklyn bus route. Despite the transit service’s success in the other areas, that route in particular has maintained poor ridership.

The circular route is still not on par with other communities and ridership has dropped since it switched from a one-hour to a two-hour run.

“The Brooklyn run has to be fixed,” said KT General Manager Ron Mullins. “There just aren’t riders, but considering it takes an hour-and-a-half to get from Three Mile Plains to Windsor it’s no wonder it's not working.” He said each half of the loop takes one hour and “that’s just too much time.”

But before KT looks at making further changes to the route, Mullins says they need public feedback. “I don't ride the bus everyday so if there are issues we want to know. We've only got one more shot at fixing this.”

About a half-dozen local residents turned up for the meeting along with town councillors and municipal representatives to give their two cents’ worth. Many there brainstormed with Mullins’ concepts such as a feeder bus that would make frequent loops around town to a rush-hour commuter service, but as Deputy Mayor Andy Kirk put it, “no matter what we do, it’ll cost more.”

Mullins said the ideas were all good, but to change one part of the system would create a ripple effect all across the board.

Presents challenges

Brooklyn resident Michelle Helliwell travels to work in Wolfville by bus every morning and although she's a strong transit supporter, she admits it does present challenges for commuters.

“I'm lucky because I can work flexible hours, but if I had to catch the bus home there’s no way I could pick my kids up at the end of the day.”

However, she was keen on the possibility of a morning and afternoon express run for commuters. “There are really two types of users: those who commute and the folks that use it locally through the day.”

Mullins said Brooklyn and Ellershouse are hub areas and many of those residents head to New Minas or Metro for work. The only problem with an express run, he said, is in order for it to work they would have to limit stops.

As it stands now, it takes Helliwell two hours to get to Wolfville by bus in the morning, which Mullins said puts a strain on riders.

“Four hours of traveling by bus everyday is no quality of life,” he said. “If she were to take the bus home she's not getting there until seven at night. Who wants to make supper at that hour?”

The barrier, Mullins said, continues to be geographic. “The places we’re trying to serve are just too far apart.”

He said, for that reason, the Brooklyn run will always take longer. “It's not a fast run and never will be, but our goal here is to have a viable services that compares to the rest of our services.”

Make the run faster

Stephanie Lydiard doesn't own a vehicle and relies heavily on the service, but would like to see the run into town made faster. “I'm a single mother of two and this is my only transportation. I take the bus almost everyday.”

Driver Sharon Rafuse said she has seen a slight increase in users over the past month, mostly students on their way to school. “It's usually kids who have missed the bus or overslept.”

She said a few students at West Hants Middle School took advantage of the bus during exam period. Rather than stay the full day, they caught the bus home when their exam was complete. Rafuse said one day last week there was a total of 35 riders on the Brooklyn run.

Dalhousie student Peter Rogers is conducting a survey on the service and has been testing all the Windsor and West Hants rides. What he has heard from riders to-date has been positive.

“It would be a real blow to the community if the bus stopped. In general, there is overwhelming support,” he said.

Looking back, he wished there was a similar service when he was a student in the area. “When I was a teenager, I would’ve taken the bus all the time.”

It does take time to change people’s mindsets from relying on a car, Mullins said, but at the same time they need to address gaps in the service.

“People really want it, but we've got to make it convenient. Right now there are times when the bus is completely empty and that’s a concern.”

Kings Transit will host a similar meeting March 10 at the Ellershouse Community Hall.