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essentialtransitnl.bsky.social

@essentialtransitnl.bsky.social
54 followers 3 following 19 posts
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Reposted by @essentialtransitnl.bsky.social
NTV News @ntvnewsnl.bsky.social · 09/05/2026
Rental car shortage renews calls for better public transportation ntv.ca/news/rental-...
ntv.ca
Rental car shortage renews calls for better public transportation - NTV: Newfoundland and Labrador's Most Trusted News Source
As the busy tourism season approaches, many visitors are making plans to explore the province. But finding a rental car is once again proving to be a challenge. With concerns growing over limited vehi...
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The War on Cars @thewaroncars.bsky.social · 26/04/2026
Get yourself a mayor who loves the bus and wants to make it work better for everyone.
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Fietser @americanfietser.bsky.social · 20/04/2026
The "freedom to drive" actually means having zero choice. You are forced to buy, maintain, insure, fuel, and store a depreciating asset on repeat forever. True mobility freedom is having safe, efficient, accessible alternatives, not surrendering your financial independence to car dependency.
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essentialtransitnl.bsky.social @essentialtransitnl.bsky.social · 20/04/2026
This only works if your transit offering is not terrible. We had an unexpected surge in bus use and instead of urgently adding buses to overcrowded routes, the transportation commission internally essentially said "it's fine - the numbers will drop off once new users experience the service."
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essentialtransitnl.bsky.social @essentialtransitnl.bsky.social · 04/04/2026
Glad to see Australia acting to tackle the high price of gas by making transit free of charge. Time to think differently about how we get around! www.bbc.com/news/article...
bbc.com
Fuel tax halved and free public transport offered as war pushes up prices in Australia
Victoria and Tasmania are incentivising commuters not to drive in a bid to ease cost pressures.
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Fietser @americanfietser.bsky.social · 02/04/2026
People a century ago knew exactly what car dependency would cost us in taxes, congestion, and lost public space. The auto lobby just threw enough money at politicians to make us forget we ever had a choice.
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David Zipper @davidzipper.bsky.social · 29/03/2026
Excellent framing. This kind of positive language is way more likely to win people over than “cars are bad.”
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National Association of City Transportation Officials @nacto.bsky.social · 12/03/2026
From bus lanes to signal priority, we're building the first comprehensive inventory of transit priority programs across the U.S. and Canada. We need data from ALL agencies—even if you don't have a program yet! Learn more and take the survey:
nacto.org
Survey: Help us document transit priority programs in the U.S. and Canada - NACTO
Cities and transit agencies across North America are improving transit service with tools like dedicated bus lanes, transit signal priority, queue jumps, optimized bus stop spacing, and automated camera enforcement. But it’s hard to grasp the full scale of these activities, because no one is tracking transit priority programs across state and regional lines. Until…
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Bloomington Transit @bloomingtontransit.bsky.social · 02/03/2026
Yeah, we said it! 🗣️🧊 bloomingtontransit.com
Tired of this crap? (A woman scraping ice off of her car windshield) Take the Bloomington Transit bus!
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Peter Norton @norton.bsky.social · 02/03/2026
The few who planned depended upon the many who rode. But the few kept forgetting that.
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McSweeney's @mcsweeneys.net · 01/03/2026
"The 15-Hour City believes everything has its place. Houses go in one location, businesses in another, and in between is a dark sea of soul-crushing concrete and asphalt." buff.ly/fLNN71n
buff.ly
Introducing the 15-Hour City
“The 15-minute city principle suggests you should have your daily needs—work, food, healthcare, education, culture, and leisure—within a 15-minute ...
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Warren Wells, AICP @warrenjwells.bsky.social · 11/02/2026
A fact that sounds like bullshit but is actually true: There is more square footage of parking *per car* in the US than there is square footage of housing *per person.*
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Jarrett Walker @humantransit.bsky.social · 10/02/2026
Every time I see a circular bus route I wonder how many people really want to travel in circles. Medellín.
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Tom Flood @tomflood.bsky.social · 07/02/2026
Local woman excited about ditching the car for the unreliable bus that comes every 3.5 hours - "it's the inconvenience that really attracted me."
woman smiling 

Local woman excited about ditching the car for the unreliable bus that comes every 3.5 hours - "it's the inconvenience that really attracted me."
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essentialtransitnl.bsky.social @essentialtransitnl.bsky.social · 03/02/2026
The snow hasn't stopped us! Join us tonight at 19:00 and if you can't make it in person you can still take part via Zoom: us06web.zoom.us/j/8476825094...
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essentialtransitnl.bsky.social @essentialtransitnl.bsky.social · 17/01/2026
Mark your calendars evening of Feb 3rd to talk at MUN with the best lineup yet of both transit advocates and key decision makers in St John's!
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essentialtransitnl.bsky.social @essentialtransitnl.bsky.social · 17/01/2026
Radical proposals in the UK - what do you think? In 2019, consultants suggested gradually increasing the age St John's buses would be free to cover all school-age children but it never happened.
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David Brake @drbrakeyyt.bsky.social · 17/01/2026
🧵Reading @economist.com about the mess Jakarta (pop 43m!) is in, I was oddly reminded of St John's. "After years of expansion it now encompasses the neighbouring cities of Bogor, Depok, Tangerang and Bekasi (see map). Yet there is far too little co-ordination among these neighbouring authorities."
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essentialtransitnl.bsky.social @essentialtransitnl.bsky.social · 06/01/2026
Yesterday because of snow, the city's offices opened atnoon... but Metrobus didn't start running until 13:30. We called in to OpenLine @vocmnews.bsky.social to point this out (1:05:25) and suggest at least we should have a smaller "priority" bus service when this happens. vocm.com/2019/08/01/o...
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David Zipper @davidzipper.bsky.social · 17/12/2025
"But like so many tech 'fixes,' robotaxis offer a clean and convenient solution for the wealthy few at the expense of the many." "We should all be taking the bus."
sfexaminer.com
Why Waymo can't compete with the bus
Public infrastructure deserves to win out over private convenience.
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essentialtransitnl.bsky.social @essentialtransitnl.bsky.social · 06/12/2025
I've a lot of respect for @humantransit.bsky.social but living in a city with profound "bus stigma" I think this is wrong. Sadly, people who don't see transit as something they or their friends use won't support adequate funding. They need visible, significant improvement to start mainstreaming it.
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essentialtransitnl.bsky.social @essentialtransitnl.bsky.social · 27/11/2025
Routes with fewer stops that don't loop through side streets could help make transit work more effectively but only if the city also makes it easier to get to and from bus stops... preferably with shelters!
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essentialtransitnl.bsky.social @essentialtransitnl.bsky.social · 12/08/2025
One of the most thorough discussions of the pros and cons of free buses in a North American context.
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Stephen Frost @sfrost.bsky.social · 09/08/2025
More of this kind of travel writing please. “On the whole, travel by public bus was a joy.” “En route to Little Compton in Warwickshire, I found myself the sole passenger on the bus and the driver told me she was happy to drop me anywhere, as long as it was safe to do so”
independent.co.uk
I travelled by local bus from London to the Cotswolds for under £40
Wending his way from the city to the countryside on the UK’s local bus network, Gabriel Stewart found an authentic slice of Cotswolds life, away from the crowds
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Miles in Transit @milesintransit.com · 26/06/2025
And it's done! 6 days, 9 provinces, 6 time zones, and 20 buses later, we've made it to the end of the Trans-Canada Highway!!!!! Thanks so much to everyone who followed along on this insane adventure across this amazing country!
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Stephen Frost @sfrost.bsky.social · 06/07/2025
Interesting new study from @smfthinktank.bsky.social finds a correlation between car dependency & loneliness, particularly in rural towns. This might be due to there being “fewer ways to reach others” and space given to cars creating “barriers in what might have been walkable neighbourhoods.”
theguardian.com
People lacking good public transport more likely to feel lonely, UK study finds
Research finds correlation between car dependancy and loneliness, particularly in rural towns
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Transport Action Canada @transportaction.ca · 30/06/2025
This is a brave endeavour considering the current state of bus connectivity between provinces:
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David Brake @drbrakeyyt.bsky.social · 11/06/2025
Brighton & Hove where I am currently living just received $29m of capital funding for transit from the UK government, spread over four yearshttps://www.gov.uk/government/p... St John's received almost double that in 2024 - mostly to electrify its network. But... www.stjohns.ca/en/news/fund...
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essentialtransitnl.bsky.social @essentialtransitnl.bsky.social · 02/06/2025
This sounds very much like St John's Council, most of the Transportation Commission and Metrobus management itself...
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Transport Action Atlantic @transportactionatl.bsky.social · 30/05/2025
Transit leaders here in Canada could learn from this - for starters, we should be regularly benchmarking and trying to improve our transit systems' inclusivity too!
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Transport Action Atlantic @transportactionatl.bsky.social · 27/05/2025
Equally applicable to the Canadian federal government and provincial and municipal governments across the country.
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essentialtransitnl.bsky.social @essentialtransitnl.bsky.social · 26/05/2025
The draft plan for Metrobus' electrification called for just four fully electric buses this year and 49 by... 2032. And it's clearly not even keeping to that schedule.
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Transport Action Atlantic @transportactionatl.bsky.social · 26/05/2025
We're still big fans of buses, but if you believe it takes light rail to get passengers on board, maybe this lower cost construction technique has a role to play!
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Veronica O. Davis @veronicaodavis.bsky.social · 03/12/2024
Today is International Day of Persons with Disabilities. For those in the transportation ecosystem, drop some coins on fellow @islandpress.bsky.social author @nondriver.bsky.social “When Driving is not an Option”. islandpress.org/books/when-d...
islandpress.org
When Driving Is Not an Option
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Transport Action Atlantic @transportactionatl.bsky.social · 15/04/2025
Brampton, ON (pop 700,000) has 226,500 bus riders on an average weekday. How? Simple. The core bus network runs every five minutes and secondary routes run every 30 well into the late evening. Ridership went up 288% (!) between 2004 when they started and 2018 www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
bloomberg.com
How Did This Suburb Figure Out Mass Transit?
Transit ridership is off the charts in Brampton, Ontario, despite its typical low-density suburban layout. Here’s how the city got residents to get on the bus.
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essentialtransitnl.bsky.social @essentialtransitnl.bsky.social · 15/04/2025
It looks sturdier and more comfortable than anything on offer in Newfoundland!
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essentialtransitnl.bsky.social @essentialtransitnl.bsky.social · 11/04/2025
Here in St John's it's not even that people fight against these things - many just don't fight for them. The status quo is so poor people need to take an interest in better transit now before they discover they are no longer comfortable driving and don't want to have to nag their friends and family.
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essentialtransitnl.bsky.social @essentialtransitnl.bsky.social · 07/04/2025
Terrible. But also here in Newfoundland and Labrador a reminder we don't have a publicly supported, scheduled, inter-community bus service at all! (unless you count the meagre local St John's/Mt Pearl/Paradise route)
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Long Branch Mike (LBM) 🇨🇦 @longbranchmike.bsky.social · 25/03/2025
@transportaction.ca @transportactionatl.bsky.social
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Transport Action Atlantic @transportactionatl.bsky.social · 01/03/2025
As populations across the Atlantic provinces continue to age, we need to make sure that our elderly don't feel they have to keep driving if they want to stay active and independent without avoid forcing friends and family to act as chauffeurs
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Transport Action Atlantic @transportactionatl.bsky.social · 16/12/2024
Wow - UK-focused but much will surely be applicable to 🇨🇦 as well - topics include transportation poverty, disabled people's access transport needs, a just transition for transit and more. Downloading now!
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Brent Toderian @brenttoderian.bsky.social · 11/12/2024
In case you needed a city-making smile. A #Christmas metro train in Warsaw, Poland decked out for the holidays, shared by @adambielitz.bsky.social. How you create a #CityOfSmiles.
A train decked out in Christmas red and white, snowflakes, candy-cane colours etc.
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essentialtransitnl.bsky.social @essentialtransitnl.bsky.social · 10/12/2024
The city's budget was also passed today. Still no sign of the two-years-overdue Metrobus growth plan. Financial support from the city was raised 2.8% from last year... making it still $837,670 lower than 2023 - a 5.6% decrease inc inflation while the service is suffering from its own success...
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essentialtransitnl.bsky.social @essentialtransitnl.bsky.social · 10/12/2024
It's a 🎄miracle! Metrobus announced a new bus route 33 - an express between the Village Mall, Avalon Mall and Memorial University. Not until the new year, not on weekends or in the evenings but better than a lump of coal! www.metrobus.com/33/33details...
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Transport Action Atlantic @transportactionatl.bsky.social · 10/12/2024
When NL negotiated in 1988 the shutdown of the railway in exchange for road improvements, we were promised we'd "always have passenger services comparable to those provided in the rest of Canada". Roadcruiser had 25 buses and carried 161,000. Its successor DRL runs two coaches a day, without subsidy
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Clean Energy Canada @cleanenergycanada.org · 09/12/2024
🍁🔋 Oakville, Ontario, will soon roll out another dozen-plus electric transit buses—putting the municipality on track to electrify 50% of their 135-vehicle fleet by 2026. "It really is exciting to be a part of the transition," says Oakville's transit director. #onpoli #EV
electricautonomy.ca
Oakville bus fleet on track for 50 per cent electrification by 2026
Oakville, Ont.'s electrification plan includes putting 74 electric transit vehicles on the road in two years — out of a bus fleet of 135
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essentialtransitnl.bsky.social @essentialtransitnl.bsky.social · 09/12/2024
Halifax Transit's first three electric buses to carry passengers are on the streets today! Metrobus has eight hybrid buses which are just arriving on the roads but it looks like our first four fully electric buses will be four years away... www.halifax.ca/transportati...
halifax.ca
Zero Emission Bus Project
Zero Emission Bus Project
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essentialtransitnl.bsky.social @essentialtransitnl.bsky.social · 26/11/2024
Canada Games 2025 will offer free transit for anyone with credentials or tickets to games. But many of our existing buses are already overcrowded, even in summer. Metrobus and St John's haven't publicly discussed even the added resources needed to cope today www.2025canadagames.ca/media-centre...
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Clean Energy Canada @cleanenergycanada.org · 20/11/2024
🇨🇦🔋⚡️Toronto is now home to one of Canada's largest transit fleet charging systems. The smart-charging solution—complete with overhead 'pantograph' and plug-in chargers—will optimize energy costs for the transit operator's 100-EV (and growing) fleet. #onpoli #cdnpoli #EV
electricautonomy.ca
Toronto unveils smart charging solution for electric transit bus fleet
The Toronto Transit Commission is collaborating with PowerON, BetterFleet and ABB to optimize charging for its electric bus fleet
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Transport Action Atlantic @transportactionatl.bsky.social · 19/11/2024
Poor 🛤️maintenance by CN in NB is a key reason Via Rail's Montreal to Halifax 🚊 takes 5 hours longer than it did in the 90s - limited to 30km/h in places! It's the only transit link between the Maritimes and the rest of 🇨🇦. Tell the Federal Government to step in! www.ourcommons.ca/petitions/en...
ourcommons.ca
Sign this Petition - Petitions
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