New Brunswick’s public transportation system is failing its residents. Many areas are completely inaccessible by public transit, and where services do exist, they often involve long, indirect routes or infrequent schedules that make travel time-consuming and inconvenient. For seniors, newcomers, and people with disabilities who can’t drive, transportation is a major barrier to accessing healthcare and other essential services
The Green Caucus has made a significant effort to revive and improve public transportation in New Brunswick in recent years. In 2022, Green Party leader David Coon wrote an oped where he said that the government must treat public transportation as an essential public service.
Later that year, Green MLA Kevin Arseneau experienced first hand just how difficult it is to get around New Brunswick on public transportation. Despite having a Via Rail station just minutes from his house in Rogersville, he had to use a patchwork of disconnected public transportation systems to get to the Legislative Assembly in Fredericton (with stops in Miramichi and Moncton). David and Megan experienced similar challenges in May 2025 just trying to make the 30 minute commute from Moncton to Sackville by train.
In November 2023 David proposed a motion calling on the government to revive the long-dormant New Brunswick Transportation Authority to lead the implementation of a public transportation strategy. David and Megan discovered that the problem is that nobody in the provincial government is in charge of public transportation – so who would make the strategy?
When Premier Holt refused to put a cabinet minister in charge of public transportation, David decided to go directly to Via Rail to advocate on behalf of New Brunswickers since nobody else in the provincial government would. He attended Via’s board meeting in Halifax, where he got a commitment from Via’s CEO to arrange a meeting with Premier Holt.
Ultimately someone in government needs to be in charge of coordinating New Brunswick’s patchwork of public transportation systems – Via Rail, Maritime Bus, municipal city transit services, and new regional transportation services in northern NB. New Brunswick has the potential for a great public transportation system, but it requires political will and strategic investment to become reliable, accessible, and efficient.