Metrobus Transit

Metrobus
1418; 2014 Nova Bus LFS, Avalon Mall
Founded1958
Headquarters25 Messenger Drive, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
Service areaSt. John's, Mount Pearl, and Paradise
Service typePublic transit
Routes23
Stops833
Hubs2
Fleet54
Annual ridership
3 million (2013)
Fuel typeDiesel & hybrid
OperatorSt. John's Transportation Commission (City of St. John's)
Transportation Commission Chair
Paul Walsh
Websitewww.metrobus.com

Metrobus is a public transport system owned by the city of St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. It operates a fleet of diesel and hybrid buses. A total of 22 bus routes serve St. John's and its western suburbs of Mount Pearl and Paradise, carrying 2.9 million passengers in 2016 and 4,759,834 in 2023.

0755; 2007 Nova Bus LFS

History

St. John's Transportation Commission is a board consisting of six members and a chair, appointed by St John's City Council.

Metrobus Transit currently operates 24 routes. Routes travel around the cities of St. John's, Mount Pearl, and Paradise; and service major destinations including the Avalon Mall, Village Shopping Centre, Memorial University, Confederation Building, College of the North Atlantic, Marine Institute, Paradise Double Ice Complex arena, Shoppes at Galway, Mile One Centre, and downtown St. John's.

Metrobus has had two strikes, in 2004 and 2010. The first lasted roughly two weeks, and wages were the key issue; the introduction of a 50/50 cost-sharing health benefit system was the key issue in the 2010 dispute. The latter dispute lasted about three months and was settled with a modest pay hike on January 27, 2011.[citation needed]

In 2006, Metrobus Transit upgraded its fare system to use a smart card system called the m-Card, which replaces tickets and monthly passes with a reloadable card and offers a points and rewards loyalty program.

In 2012, Metrobus Transit acquired nine new fully accessible Nova LFS Smart Buses and planned to purchase twenty-one additional buses by 2017. The Smart Bus technology on these buses can improve fuel economy by up to 18% and significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. From the outside, the new buses look very similar to the other low-floor buses already in its fleet, but they are fully accessible and include a wheelchair ramp and other related equipment. In 2017, St. John's and the federal government jointly funded 18 accessible replacement buses and 39 additional bus shelters.

In 2018, Metrobus introduced three brand-new Grande West Vicinity 30 ft (9.1 m) buses, which are 10 ft shorter than the previous model purchased over the years to operate on smaller routes and offer a more fuel-efficient and quiet ride.

Bus fleet

Nova Buses at the Avalon Mall.
1832 2018 Grand West Vicinity Bus.

Metrobus Transit currently operates a fleet of 58 Nova LFS buses (0753-2574), 3 Grande West Vicinity buses (1831, 1833 and 2134), and one Chevrolet 4500 Arboc Spirit of Freedom (Community Bus).[citation needed]

Routes

Metrobus operates most routes year-round, except for Routes 13, 24 and 26, which do not operate during the summer schedule (late June–September). Primary and base routes usually operate at a 30-minute frequency on weekdays, with 60-minute frequency during the evenings and on weekends. Routes 1, 2, 3 and 10 operate at a 15-minute frequency during peak periods between key points.

Route 28, also known as the Community Bus, is an accessible door-to-door route that connects select senior apartment complexes in the St. John's area with major shopping attractions.

Route 30 entered service on June 27, 2016, during the Metrobus summer schedule's period of operation, serving 55 new bus stops within the Town of Paradise.[citation needed]

In September 2025, Metrobus made Routes 22 and 30 all-day services to Mount Pearl and Paradise.[citation needed]

In January 2026, Metrobus changed Route 23 to all-day service and disunited Route 3A, so Route 3B is now simply known as Route 3. It then added a second bus for Route 14 during peak hours and added a new route, Route 29, which runs from MUN's Signal Hill campus to Mount Scio Road.[citation needed]

Metrobus also offers an accessible door-to-door, on-demand service called GoBus, whose operation is contracted out to MV Transportation.[citation needed]

References

  1. ↑ MUN Area Traffic Study http://www.stjohns.ca/sites/default/files/files/publication/MUN%20Area%20Traffic%20Study_2016.pdf,
  2. ↑ "City of St. John's, By-Law 1308, TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION BY-LAW".
  3. ↑ Will Federal Funds Build St John’s a Better Transit System?
  4. ↑ New Metrobuses circulating St. John's area are smaller and wheelchair-accessible

Primary sources

In the text, these references are preceded by a double dagger (‡):

  1. ↑ "Metrobus | Statistics". www.metrobus.com. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
  2. ↑ m-Card November 7, 2010
  3. ↑ Metrobus Transit takes delivery of nine new fully accessible low-floor buses February 24, 2012.
  4. ↑ "Community Bus". Metrobus. Retrieved 20 June 2022.