Saint John Ability Advisory Committee champions paratransit service with a new name, logo and bus

The Saint John Ability Advisory Committee Transit Subcommittee, Saint John Transit and Independence Plus are celebrating the renaming of the City’s paratransit service to Saint John Accessible Transit.

The name was developed by members of the Saint John Ability Advisory Committee (SJAAC), an advisory group supported by the City of Saint John. The name change came at the request of community members.

Saint John Accessible Transit provides specialized public transit for those who are unable to use the regular transit system.

“The name reflects the accessibility of the service rather than a disability in riders,” says Marisa Hersey Misner, committee chair, Saint John Ability Advisory Committee. “Our new name uses modern language for this vital service.

“Through the Transforming Transit project, Council and staff are working to provide quality, accessible transit for all Saint John residents,” says Mayor Donna Noade Reardon. “Riders are seeing service enhancements, new vehicles and technology. In 2025, we will introduce automated stop signaling for more accessibility.”

The Saint John Accessible Transit logo uses a variation of the typeface, colours and shapes used on Saint John Transit’s logo. The squares become larger from left-to-right and rear-to-foreground to provide motion.  The final logo reflects inclusion and coming together as well as third-party provider Independence Plus.

Independence Plus is the Saint John based non-profit that operates Saint John Accessible Transit on behalf of Sant John Transit.

“Our drivers, staff and board of directors look forward to continuing to get our riders where they need to go – to medical appointments, shopping, social events, whatever they need,” says Dave Black, executive director, Independence Plus.

Saint John Transit also introduced an addition to the Saint John Accessible Transit fleet. A 2025 Crestline accessible bus, funded through Saint John Transit, has been in service since September. A new accessible bus will also be purchased in 2025.

Riders will begin to see the new name and logo rolled out on all buses within the next month.

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About

The Saint John Ability Advisory Committee (SJAAC) is an advisory group supported by City of Saint John. This committee provides leadership in making our community more inclusive. The Transit Subcommittee provides advice and guidance to Saint John Transit and City of Saint John Fleet staff regarding public transportation and accessible transit.

The Saint John Transit Commission was established in 1979 by the City of Saint John to own and operate scheduled public transit service in the city.  In 2022, Saint John Transit began to operationalize the Transforming Transit project, designed to ensure that the service operates sustainably, better serves current riders, attracts new riders and adopts industry standards. Since January 2023, the Saint John Transit team has worked together to add six electric vehicles, increase service on 13 fixed routes, create three FLEX on-demand zones and introduce the SJTRides e-fare payment app. In 2023, our team of operators provided over 1,937,659 passenger trips across 1,649,665 kilometres and over 86,509 service hours.

Independence Plus Inc., is a non-profit organization that provides transportation to people with disabilities who are unable to use regular public transportation.  Independence Plus has operated the accessible transportation service on behalf of Saint John Transit since 1994. Service is available Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 7 am to 7 pm, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7 am to 9 pm and Saturdays 10:30 am to 7 pm. The service is projected to provide over 23,000 rides this year.
 

Here to help – For inquiries related to municipal services, contact the City of Saint John Customer Service Centre at (506) 658-4455, or visit us in person on the Ground Floor of City Hall, 15 Market Square, Monday to Thursday (excluding holidays), 8:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.