New transit service connects west Quebec to Gatineau, Ottawa
Transcollines will run routes out of four communities in the region
The first passengers of a new transit service intended to connect Outaouais municipalities with Ottawa and Gatineau purchased their tickets and boarded shiny blue-and-white buses Monday morning.
Transcollines will connect people in four Outaouais municipalities — Cantley, Chelsea, La Pêche, and Val-des-Monts — with Société de transport de l'Outaouais (STO) bus routes in Gatineau.
Passengers will be able to transfer to STO routes on a single bus ticket, and Transcollines riders will have the same access that STO riders have to OC Transpo routes.
Chelsea Mayor Caryl Green told Ottawa Morning's Hallie Cotnam that Transcollines will include more buses and better connections than what the STO previously offered in the area, including noon-hour service.
"It's been many years in the works. It's linking the rural to the urban," said Green.
A regular monthly bus pass will cost $92 for adults, $62 for students, and $40 for seniors. Individual bus fares cost either four or five dollars, depending on how far passengers travel.
The service will be free until June 30.