Expansion of public transit, continuation of reduced transit fares

Public transit service in Prince Edward Island is set to expand with additional service on both rural and capital area transit routes.   

A year-round route connecting the North Rustico area to Charlottetown will begin this spring. The Province is currently working with its operator to determine schedules. This new route is additional to the summer public transit service supporting Island tourism operations and employees which will begin by June 19. Last year’s summer public transit service saw an average of 97 daily one-way trips over the months of July and August.

Additionally, the Province is working with the Capital Area Transit Coordinating Committee (CATCC) to expand transit in Charlottetown, Cornwall and Stratford with new routes, added evening services and extended weekend hours on some of the most popular routes.

“Public transit in Prince Edward Island reached a significant milestone of one million rides in 2022 and we want to keep pace with the growing demand for transit and at the same time, support expansion of the service where gaps have been identified by ridership. By creating an affordable and reliable Island-wide public transit system, we are reducing transportation barriers for Islanders and helping to create a cleaner, more sustainable province.”

- Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Cory Deagle

To support continued growth of public transit and help citizens with the cost of living, the Province of Prince Edward Island is ensuring transit fares remain the same.

Since April 2022, the cost of a monthly transit pass has been:

• $20 for adults;
• $10 for seniors; and
• $10 for post-secondary students.

These rates will remain on all public transit routes in the province until March 31, 2024.

All transit routes on Prince Edward Island are free for children and students k-12.

As of February 2023, the average number of monthly transit passes is 1,255 a month. Approximately, 9,000 one-way trips for children and students k-12 occur each month.

“T3 Transit provides a key service to our residents and visitors, reliably and safely providing options for those going to work, going to school or running errands,” said His Worship Philip Brown, Mayor of Charlottetown. “On behalf of Charlottetown City Council, I’d like to thank our partner, the Government of PEI, for helping ensure a robust transit service for our city.”

“Cornwall with its growth looks forward to the possibility of increased ridership with the expansion of routes and times throughout our town,” said Her Worship Minerva McCourt, Mayor of Cornwall. “The councillors have been in discussion regarding this need following the campaign trail this past fall. The people have requested additional service and we look forward to working with T3 to help accommodate these requests as best we can.”

“On behalf of the Town of Stratford I am really encouraged by the Province of PEI’s demonstrated support of transit in our community,” said His Worship Steve Ogden, Mayor of Stratford. “Through previous annual resident surveys, current budget considerations underway, and following the recent municipal election door-to-door canvassing, we have heard that residents are interested in mid-morning, mid-afternoon, evening and weekend runs. We look forward to being able to expand our transit service to better serve our residents.” 

"On behalf of all T3 transit customers we wish to thank the PEI Government and the Municipalities of Charlottetown, Stratford and Cornwall for their support and financial commitment to public transit throughout PEI,” says T3 Transit owner, Mike Cassidy. "Our elected officials are making transit affordable and available through discounted incentive programs, expanded routes, increased travel time options and the capital acquisition of new buses."

To date, since launching in October 2021, the province’s rural transit service has provided over 73,000 one-way trips with a daily average of 32.5 one-way trips per day. The highest daily average is the route between Summerside and Charlottetown which sees an average of 105 one-way trips daily. According to a recent survey of ridership, the availability of rural public transit is taking approximately 102 personal use vehicles off the road per day.

Media contact:
April Gallant
Department of Transportation and Infrastructure
902-368-5112
aldgallant@gov.pe.ca