A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held March 19 to mark the arrival of four of Belleville Transit’s five new buses. Photo courtesy of Belleville Transit
By Charlotte Oduol [1]
BELLEVILLE – Belleville Transit has four brand-new buses in its fleet, with a fifth coming this fall.
Mayor Mitch Panciuk and members of city council’s Transit Advisory Committee joined Belleville Transit officials for a ribbon-cutting ceremony on March 19, the day the new buses arrived.
Paul Buck, operations manager at Belleville Transit, says the new buses are a great improvement for riders.
“We had some buses that required replacement,” he said. The new ones come with:
- a driver barrier that has a clear glass window to help protect the driver from transmission of illness.
- a safety barrier in the event of a situation in which the driver needs protection
- six security cameras covering the interior and the exterior.
“As you can tell, the safety of our riders remains a priority to us,” Buck said.
It is the first time since 2013 the city has purchased new buses, he said.
“The new buses saved us a lot of money on training the mechanics (and) drivers … Most of them already know the vehicles and it is something they are used to” because the new buses “are very similar to those that we have had in the past.”
A feature on two of the new buses is a newer and larger stop projection screen which shows you the next three bus stops instead of just one. The screens also provide the estimated time to the stops, to help riders prepare to get off.
Belleville Transit is waiting for council to review its plan to expand service into Ward 2, the more rural area of the city, on Sept. 30.
Buck said he has big hopes for Belleville and its transit riders.
The expansion into Ward 2 “will be great for the residents, riders, and students. As Ward 2 … becomes more built up, that service will finally be welcome there,” he said.
“We are also looking to add some early morning service on Sundays, to assist in getting workers to and from work.”