All aboard!

CHARLOTTE PETRIE

Iqaluit city council brought back the colourfully made-over school bus to offer a full-time service starting March 3, after deciding that a city-wide public bus service experiment in Iqaluit last fall was a success.

“Residents have clearly indicated there is a need for public transit,” Mayor John Matthews said in a press release.

Bus driver Delmar Gordon runs two different routes throughout the day, starting bright and early at 7:45 and ending in the early evening at around 6:30.

The smaller, downtown route, Loop A, starts at the Four Corners and runs along the Ring Road to Arctic Ventures. After side trips into lower Iqaluit and Happy Valley, Loop A continues around past the hospital, Astro Hill and Arctic Ventures, and ends up back at the Four Corners after connecting with the GN buildings beyond City Hall.

A second, longer route, Loop B, starts at the Four Corners and also runs along the Ring Road through Happy Valley. Between the Ring Road booster station and Apex, the bus connects with the Road to Nowhere subdivision, Tundra Valley and the new arena, taking a different route in the afternoon than in the morning.

A one-way fare is still only $2 per person. Children under 10 ride for free when accompanied by an adult.

The city held a formal press conference March 3 to launch the service, giving out hats and ear-bands flaunting the bus system’s flashy trademark colours — green, yellow, blue and red to about 60 onlookers.

Those who showed up already sporting the bright colours were awarded with a free bus ticket.

The one-month trial period in late October of last year began after council members were bombarded with requests from an anxious public to retain the service, which was offered during the Arctic Winter Games.

Nearly one year later to the day, the public’s repeated requests finally prevailed.

There’s no service on Sundays or holidays, and Saturday service ends at 2:30 p.m.

The service is provided for the City of Iqaluit by R.L. Hanson Construction Ltd.