Bus funding part of major federal program

About 300 people turned up Oct. 11 to welcome two new additions to Kings Transit fleet of buses.

The celebration in the Digby Atlantic Superstore parking lot allowed people to try out the contoured seating in the California-built buses.

A sunny October day meant the buses didn’t require the heaters that promise warmer rides this winter.

Deputy warden Jimmy MacAlpine noted the Municipality of Digby initially supported the bus line’s extension into this area to provide transportation to the then-new Convergys call centre. Since then, the municipality has found steady growth in ridership, enough that the municipality was willing to purchase a larger bus this summer, and it got funding support from the federal government.

The County of Annapolis, which was represented by its warden at Thursday’s celebration, bought an identical bus to enable similar service into the Annapolis Valley. Kings Transit now has wheelchair-accessible buses that provide service from Weymouth to Brooklyn near Windsor.

Sen. Gerald Comeau, who represented Transport Minister Lawrence Cannon, said the investment in public transit helps people move around, “especially in rural communities where access to a vehicle to conveniently travel somewhere can be critical.”

The federal funding came from the federal gas tax fund and Comeau said Nova Scotians are benefiting from more than $145 million from the gas tax fund between 2005 and 2010.

“This is all part of Building Canada, a $33 billion infrastructure plan that is the largest single federal commitment to public infrastructure in 50 years,” Comeau said.

The senator and deputy warden MacAlpine also unveiled a plaque noting federal assistance in purchasing the buses. Copies of the plaque will be mounted in the buses, MacAlpine said.

Thursday’s launch included a free barbeque lunch with giveaways that included a digital camera, an iPod, free monthly bus passes and more.