Bus-crash investigations continue
Transit vehicle that hit power pole, rolled onto side was new, had new tires, city hall says
The City of Fredericton reports that a Fredericton Transit bus that crashed in freezing-rain conditions last week was less than a year old and had new tires installed the week before.
In a news release issued Friday afternoon, city hall provided an update on the fallout from the Dec. 29 accident that saw a city bus roll onto its side in a ditch in the Vanier Industrial Park and down power lines in the process.
Seven people - six passengers and the driver - were hurt in the incident, but none of the injuries were life-threatening, police reported last week.
The municipality said Friday officials are continuing to examine the circumstances of the crash.
“The City of Fredericton’s transit and corporate safety divisions are conducting internal reviews of last week’s incident involving a city transit bus,” the release said.
“The Fredericton Police Force is also conducting a separate motor-vehicle accident investigation.”
The incident occurred at about 5 p.m. Dec. 29 on Hilton Road.
The release said the bus was carrying 12 passengers when the bus left the road.
“At the time, weather conditions included falling sleet and snow, with temperatures just below freezing,” it said.
“Following the accident, Fredericton Transit temporarily suspended service at 7:15 p.m. due to worsening weather and out of an abundance of caution, making one final run at 9:15 p.m. Service resumed as normal the following morning.”
City hall reported that the bus in question was bought new and started serving in the fleet in March 2025
“The bus also was operating with new tires installed in November 2025,” the release said.
“The vehicle is now out of service and will be inspected by the city’s insurance provider to determine whether it will be repaired or replaced.”
Despite that bus being out of commission for the time being, Fredericton Transit isn’t anticipating any service interruptions, the municipality said.
Fredericton chief administrative officer Steven Hart said in the release that safety is the city’s top concern for transit users and staff, noting that during inclement winter weather, staff evaluate road conditions continuously to determine if service should be paused - which is a measure taken rarely.
The city said all transit routes are on streets that deemed Priority 1 and 2 for winter-weather mitigation and snow removal.
“Concurrently, we are reviewing the vehicle accident, and our internal processes, to determine if any recommendations can be made that would reduce risks moving forward,” Hart said in the release.
The Fredericton Independent inquired with the city if the report into the incident and any recommendations would be made public.
“The corporate safety and transit divisions are working together to create one final report to determine if there are any recommendations to implement to prevent incidents such as this one from occurring again,” spokesperson Marley McLellan wrote in an emailed response.
“The investigation is in its early stages and timelines and outcomes are to be determined.”
However, she didn’t indicate if the report or the recommendations would be shared with members of the public.
The Fredericton Independent can be reached at ftonindependent@gmail.com.