City of Pembroke looking to bring in new public transit system
Electric buses could be coming to Pembroke’s Main Street.
The city has put out a survey to gauge public response to a potential new public transit system. The survey is available online and at Pembroke public libraries. Responses are being collected until the third week of September.
“There’s a real demand for transit in Pembroke,” says city councillor Brian Abdallah, who is leading the project for a new transit system. “The senior community want transit, the Ontario Works and the mental health services, and health agencies want transit, people on fixed income, a lot of people don’t have a car.”
Abdallah says his vision of a new transit system in Pembroke includes a small fleet of electric buses that run on a responsive, on-demand system, with buses being called to pick up points throughout the city via a smartphone, tablet, or phone call.
“It will be some sort of passenger van or shuttle bus that holds 18 to 22 people,” Abdallah tells CTV News. “It will be some form of a bus.”
One group in the community that has been desperately waiting for a transit system to arrive are the students at Pembroke’s Algonquin College campus.
“About 50 per cent of our student population at the Pembroke Campus comes from outside of Renfrew County, so about 500 students each year,” says Jamie Bramburger, the manager of community and student affairs. “What we’ve consistently heard from the student base is that it’s not so much of getting to the campus, but the convenience of things like groceries or entertainment. Trying to get to and from, even though it’s a small city, can still be a long walk.”
First year student Steve Allen came from Niagara to study at Algonquin College in Pembroke.
“It would be extremely helpful to have public transit,” says Allen, who admits he lives close enough to campus to walk, but would enjoy an easier method of getting around the city. “In one class of mine they started up a discord chat for ride sharing because it’s that needed for getting around.”
A brand new public transit system comes at a cost though. Abdallah says the city is working to secure additional government funding, but the survey also proposes a tax hike of $25 per year for residents.
“A 22 passenger electric bus costs around $850,000, the charging system is around $120,000 each,” says Abdallah. “So you can get government funding from the municipal fund, you can get ISIP. The only way transit will work in Pembroke is if we get sustainable, permanent government funding. We can’t do it on our own.”
One resident who would be happy to see his taxes go to a useful transit system is Peter Chaput.
“I think it would be very helpful and useful,” says Chaput who has lived in Pembroke his entire life. “For me, I’m on foot and that’s how I get around. It would be convenient, especially in the wintertime, to have warm transportation, for sure.”
“When I was a teenager, there was the Pembroke city bus,” recalls Chaput. “It had a steady route that would go from the east end mall to the west end mall and back again, and I know a lot of people appreciated it and used it. It’s too bad we don’t have something like that anymore.”
Abdallah hopes if consultations go smoothly, a pilot project with buses on Pembroke city streets will be up and running in a year to 18 months’ time.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
B.C. tenants evicted for landlord's use after refusing large rent increase to take over neighbouring suite
Ashley Dickey and her mother rented part of the same Coquitlam duplex in three different decades under three different landlords.
Mountain guide dies after falling into a crevasse in Banff National Park
A man who fell into a crevasse while leading a backcountry ski group deep in the Canadian Rockies has died.
Expert warns of food consumption habits amid rising prices
A new survey by Dalhousie University's Agri-Food Analytics Lab asked Canadians about their food consumption habits amid rising prices.
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment which has been banned at Queen’s Park.
Charlie Woods, son of Tiger, shoots 81 in U.S. Open qualifier
Charlie Woods failed to advance in a U.S. Open local qualifying event Thursday, shooting a 9-over 81 at Legacy Golf & Tennis Club.
Ex-tabloid publisher testifies he scooped up possibly damaging tales to shield his old friend Trump
As Donald Trump was running for president in 2016, his old friend at the National Enquirer was scooping up potentially damaging stories about the candidate and paying out tens of thousands of dollars to keep them from the public eye.
Here's why provinces aren't following Saskatchewan's lead on the carbon tax home heating fight
After Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the federal government would still send Canada Carbon Rebate cheques to Saskatchewan residents, despite Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe's decision to stop collecting the carbon tax on natural gas or home heating, questions were raised about whether other provinces would follow suit. CTV News reached out across the country and here's what we found out.
Montreal actress calls Weinstein ruling 'discouraging' but not surprising
A Montreal actress, who has previously detailed incidents she had with disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, says a New York Court of Appeals decision overturning his 2020 rape conviction is 'discouraging' but not surprising.
Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye make it four NFL drafts with quarterbacks going 1-3
Caleb Williams is heading to the Windy City, aiming to become the franchise quarterback Chicago has sought for decades.