The holiday is over.
The City says it will resume regular parking enforcement as of June 15. It will also.be re-introducing transit fare collection
Parking enforcement was eased and bus fares temporarily suspended in the early days of the COVID-19 in response to non-essential businesses being shut down. Rear-door boarding of buses was introduced to help protect drivers and passengers.
In the downtown, one-hour of free, on-street parking, or two hours of free parking will still be available in Lot 2 (Oak Street) or Lot 4 (Parking Garage).
New safety protocols will allow for the safe re-introduction of fare collection and front-door boarding, including the installation of plexiglass barriers separating drivers from passengers.
“We have remained committed to providing city-wide transit throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Fares were suspended back in March to limit interactions and help protect our employees and riders,” said Coun. Chris Mayne, Chairman of Infrastructure and Operations. “These new measures will allow us to return to a more usual way of operating while continuing to protect against the spread of COVID-19.”
North Bay Transit continues to limit the number of passengers on each bus to 15 to ensure sufficient space for physical distancing. Frequent cleaning and sanitization of buses will continue.
The re-introduction of fares will apply to both transit and para buses.
Spokesman Gord Young tells BayToday that "We were estimating revenue losses of approximately $470,000 for transit and $138,000 for parking through to the end of June. Resuming fares and enforcement as of June 15th is expected to impact those estimates."
