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 Fredericton Police Force is also conducting a separate motor vehicle accident investigation.
At approximately 5:00 pm on Monday, December 29, 2025, a Fredericton Transit bus slid into a ditch, tipped over and struck a power pole while in service and carrying 12 passengers on Hilton Road. At the time, weather conditions included falling sleet and snow, with temperatures just below freezing.
Police, fire, ambulance, and NB Power crews responded promptly to the accident. The driver, a city transit employee, and six passengers were taken to hospital and treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
Following the accident, Fredericton Transit temporarily suspended service at 7:15 pm due to worsening weather and out of an abundance of caution, making one final run at 9:15 pm. Service resumed as normal the following morning.
“Safety for passengers and drivers is our number one priority at Fredericton Transit. This is a rare and unfortunate incident that is being taken very seriously by the City of Fredericton, and our transit team,” said Fredericton’s Chief Administrative Officer Steven Hart. “Our entire organization extends our care and concern to our employee who was operating the bus. We also empathize with those passengers who were affected by this accident. 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.”
The transit bus involved was purchased new and placed in service in March 2025 as part of the city’s fleet renewal program. The bus also was operating with new tires installed in November 2025. 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. Fredericton Transit does not anticipate any service interruptions resulting from the accident.
During winter weather events, road conditions are evaluated continuously on a case-by-case basis, and the decision to pause service during a storm is rare. All transit routes run along Priority 1 and 2 streets, which are maintained throughout winter storms to minimize disruptions and keep essential services moving.
Additional information about the city’s strategic snow clearing procedures is available online.