The owner of the new Island-based Maritime Bus says it'll take every bus he has, but commuters won't face any service interruptions when Acadian Bus Lines parks its entire fleet next week.
"I'm just excited that we have the different frequencies between the different cities and I'm sure when people see the different times that we have being offered, that the ridership on the bus system is going to increase," said owner Mike Cassidy.

He said his crew is down to the final details: from buffing the signs, to programming the routers that will keep riders connected and making sure the website is live and ready to take bookings on Monday.

Cassidy said he's relieved to have overcome the regulatory hurdles in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. The next step is to make sure the company succeeds where its predecessor, Acadian Bus Lines, couldn't.

"It's been a challenge, it's been a lot of work and I just hope that the marketplace will embrace us and understand that we're trying our best and our staff is trying our best Dec.1," he said.
The company will be running smaller buses on lower demand routes and expanding the parcel delivery service.
It has already struck a deal with the hospital in Miramichi.
"It's a service that really needs to be provided. Not only blood service, but also cornea transportation and organs," said Wenda Pitre with Maritime Bus.
Cassidy said there will be more coaches on busy corridors with five buses in each direction between Halifax and Moncton and another five between Moncton and Fredericton.
They'll also offer more connections between communities.