Pictou County Transit route changes
Help shape transit improvements in Pictou County!
What’s happening?
PCT is planning changes to its bus routes, and we want to know what you think! These changes primarily include a redesign of the expansion route, with minor changes to the main route.
The proposed changes aim to make it easier to take the bus between destinations in Pictou, Westville, New Glasgow, Stellarton, Pictou Landing First Nation, and Trenton. To inform these changes, PCT is seeking input from local residents and organizations in Pictou County.
Whether you’re a regular transit user or occasional rider, we want to hear from you!
Goals
- Make it easier and more efficient for more people to use transit to get to the places they need to go
- Improve transit connections between communities in Pictou County
- Hear community feedback on the proposed improvements, including from local residents, employers, and other community organizations
Share your input!
There are several ways for you to share input:
- Fill out the online survey, open from July 28 to Aug. 10, 2025. By filling out the survey, you can enter to win up to $200 in prizes!
- Attend a community pop-up event on Thursday, July 31 at the Aberdeen Business Centre in New Glasgow, from 3 to 5.30 p.m. Drop by for as long as you like! Light refreshments will be provided.
Your feedback will play an important role in guiding improvements to PCT’s bus service within the County. Community input will be balanced with technical analysis and research.
The improved transit service is anticipated to launch in fall 2025.
Background
The expansion route launched in June 2024 as a trial. We learned a lot in its first year of operations. Many local residents shared how important it is to have a bus route travelling between different communities in Pictou County. However, we also heard challenges, including long wait times for return trips and difficulties understanding the route and schedule.
It is important for us to address these challenges quickly.
The redesigned route aims to make it easier and more efficient for local residents to take the bus to the places they need to go. The proposed bus route and schedule have been developed through detailed technical analysis and informed by previous community engagement in 2024.
Proposed changes to the expansion route
The current expansion route bus runs every three hours and 45 minutes.
The proposed changes aim to improve the efficiency and ease of using the route, primarily by:
- Offering more direct and frequent service between Westville and Trenton (every two hours), with convenient stops in Stellarton and New Glasgow
- Creating a new map that is easy to understand and adding signage at new stops
- Integrating the bus schedule in trip planning applications like Google Maps
- Adjusting overall route times to make the schedule easier to remember
The map below shows the proposed route. The route runs in the following order, with stops along each route indicated on the map:
- Westville (2) to Pictou (2A)
- Pictou (2A) back to Westville (2)
- Westville (2) to Pictou Landing (2B)
- Pictou Landing (2B) back to Westville (2)
The above sequence takes a total of four hours (approximately one hour per trip), and is then repeated throughout the day. Flagging will be allowed on portions of the route.
The survey presents the proposed changes for each community in greater detail.
Expansion route: existing and proposed changes
Download a PDF version of the map here.
Proposed changes to the main route
The main route serves destinations in New Glasgow and Stellarton. Minor proposed changes aim to improve the efficiency of the route, such as by removing the number of diversions off of major roads. Flagging will be allowed on portions of the route.
The survey presents the proposed changes in greater detail.
Main route: existing and proposed
Download a PDF version of the map here.