Halifax Transit donates two buses to Cape Breton bus service

A transit service in rural Cape Breton is getting a helping hand from its counterpart in Halifax, which is giving Strait Area Transit two of its used buses. 

The buses can seat 12 people and are wheelchair accessible. Strait Area Transit is a non-profit community-run transit system that operates in Inverness and Richmond counties. 

Dwayne MacDonald, the manager of Strait Area Transit, approached Halifax Transit about a year ago and tried to get five used buses. Halifax Transit was in the process of buying new buses and had four old ones they could spare. 

However, before those buses could get on the road to Cape Breton one was written off in an accident and another broke down. That left only two buses to make the trip.  

MacDonald said two buses will still make a huge difference in the Strait area.

"There was just a stress on the system," he said. "There were no spare vehicles, so if something broke down, still to this day, until we get those two buses on the road we're scrambling." 

'God love Halifax'

MacDonald said when a bus breaks down now they have to use vans to transport passengers. More often than not they have to use two vans to accommodate all of their riders. That means burning more fuel, which ends up costing Strait Area Transit more money. 

The two new buses should solve that problem and MacDonald said he can't thank Halifax Transit enough. 

"What they have done is more than any outside entity, either municipal or private entity has ever done for the people of the Strait area," he said.

"God love Halifax." 

Wendy Lines, the manager of bus maintenance for Halifax Transit, said they were replacing some buses this year so they had some to spare.

"It's a small thing but it's great that it's going to help the community."

The two buses that didn't make the trip are being repaired and refurbished before they're put back on the road. MacDonald expects that could cost around $10,000. 

One bus could be in service as early as next week, the other will be on the road a few weeks later.