In bus news from St. John’s, the city says it’s not rushing out to drop $15 million on 30 buses. This came up after a decision last week to increase Metrobus’ budget from $7.5-million to $15-million, allowing them to purchase a new fleet. Councillor Tom Hann says the borrowing will be spread out over at least seven years. He says the city will never reach the $15-million mark at any given time, because part of the budget each year will be allocated to debt reduction. On the west coast of Newfoundland, Corner Brook City Council held a public meeting last night about the future of its bus system. A group of 70 people showed up, including seniors, students, workers and people with disabilities. They mostly shared their displeasure with the system because of frustrating routes, long wait times and inconvenient hours of operation. They recommended improved signage and a service to call so transit goers could know when the next bus will arrive. Corner Brook Mayor Neville Greeley says that the city listened, but extra services cost extra money which has to come from somewhere.
