Iqaluit may get back on the bus

DENISE RIDEOUT

IQALUIT — A new public transit system for Iqaluit could actually be a blast from the past.

Recently the Town of Iqaluit has been batting around the idea of developing a transportation system for the territory’s capital.

The idea may be novel to newcomers to town, but longtime Iqalungmiut may remember buses bu ing around the streets 20 years ago.

In 1980 the municipality had a small bus system up and running in Iqaluit. The municipality purchased the buses from the South and shipped them up on the sealift.

At that time, with few vehicles in Iqaluit, the buses were a popular way of getting around town.

And at $1 for adults and 50 cents for kids, the bus was a cheaper alternative to taxis.

Paul Barrieau, one of the original bus drivers, remembers the buses were a hit with Apex residents and federal employees.

Barrieau said many residents used the buses to get to the shopping area of town and to travel back and forth to work.

The two buses, both 24-seaters, ran from Apex into Iqaluit, picking up passengers along the Ring Road.

Barrieau said he and his brother Louis were kept quite busy. The Barrieaus were the only drivers for the two buses and they were on the road from 7:30 a.m. to 11 p.m., seven days a week.

“It was very long days,” Barrieau recalled.

The buses served Iqaluit residents for more than two years. But it was a money-losing operation because the fees weren’t paying off the cost of bringing the vehicles to Iqaluit in the first place.

Now, 20 years later, the idea for a bus system is resurfacing.

Following this month’s taxi strike, many Iqaluit residents realized how much they rely on the cabs to get around town.

During the four-day strike some residents suggested that a bus service would be a good addition to Iqaluit.

The town council already has $100,000 set aside to study setting up a public transportation system. The council also has to look at possible ways of funding it.

The idea is still in the very early stages, but public interest seems to be there.

“There’s an idea out there, there seems to be very strong public support and there’s strong support at council,” said councillor Keith Irving.

Irving said with the town spreading out so much and growing in population, a transportation system would come in handy.

“Pressures on our street systems, pedestrian safety, the amount of vehicles, the growth of the town: They’re all pointing to this as probably being realistic for us to try it,” Irving said.

“There’s a lot of people saying it’s time, we’re big enough.”

Irving said one idea might be to put a pilot bus system in place during the Arctic Winter Games, which will take place in Iqaluit during the winter of 2002. He said that way the Town can test out how well it works and what improvements could be made.

“We need to start planning for bus stops and places [for the buses] to pull over and bus shelters and things like that which are an integral part of a transportation system,” Irving said.

The municipality hopes to conduct the transportation study sometime this year.