Purchase of 2 new specialized buses to improve service reliability and accessibility needs, and meet ridership demand

completed

The City of Quinte West is requesting funds for purchase of two new specialized buses for its service provider - Quinte Access. Quinte Access Transportation currently operates with a fleet of three accessible buses, four accessible vans and five public transit buses, which serve a combined ridership of approximately 97,679 people. Since 2014, ridership has been on a steady incline, increasing by over 10% for the specialized service and 21% for the public transit in 2015. As a result of these increases, two older buses that were previously identified as “spare vehicles” due to their age and condition have been put back into full-time service to meet local transit needs. With continued regular use, these buses will soon become unfit for service. The purchase of two new specialized buses will improve service reliability and accessibility within our transit system. Quinte Access Transportation would have the ability to retire one of the older buses and keep one as a back-up vehicle, while maintaining the same level of service to users.