Larger motorcoaches added to rural P.E.I. transit routes as ridership grows

Full-size motorcoaches have replaced minibuses on many of P.E.I.'s rural "toonie transit" routes to western Prince Edward Island and Three Rivers, roughly doubling seating capacity. Operator Trius Transit says its 24- and 28-passenger minibuses could no longer keep up with demand. The province, which renewed the company's contract in March for five years at just under $20 million, says monthly ridership has grown from about 1,500 trips five years ago to almost 13,000 this year. Rural service has expanded from three to eight year-round routes. January-to-September ridership reached 115,948 trips, five per cent higher than the same period last year.