FREDERICTON (GNB) – The provincial government today announced funding to keep Maritime Bus operating routes to Edmundston and Campbellton.
Under the public transit category of the Safe Restart Agreement, a one-time funding allocation of $360,000 will be matched by funds from the Regional Development Corporation’s Rural Economy Fund for a total of $720,000. The funding will be dispersed to the City of Edmundston, which will enter into a contract with Maritime Bus to provide the $720,000 in assistance to keep the Edmundston and Campbellton bus routes operating until the end of 2021.
“We are pleased to announce support for the City of Edmundston, on behalf of all municipalities, for Maritime Bus, which provides such a key service to New Brunswick residents, businesses and communities,” said Local Government and Local Governance Reform Minister Daniel Allain.
“Without intercity transportation services, we would have been isolated,’’ said Edmundston Deputy Mayor Éric Marquis. “Maritime Bus provides accessible and affordable transportation service for people in our region who need to travel to southern New Brunswick for medical care. We are very grateful for the intervention of the Government of New Brunswick.”
Support for Maritime Bus will help it cover its losses due to the pandemic. This funding will be contingent upon the company guaranteeing the continued operation of its northern New Brunswick routes until the end of 2021.
“We took the time to work with municipal stakeholders on this priority file and to do our due diligence to ensure this service continues to be available during the pandemic,” said Allain.
The Safe Restart Agreement is a federal investment of more than $19 billion to help provinces and territories safely restart their economies affected by the global pandemic. New Brunswick received $41 million under the municipalities stream of the agreement.
Under Phase 1, $1.6 million was provided to support transit systems in Fredericton, Moncton and Saint John, and $360,000 for Edmundston.
29-01-21