The municipality of Collingwood unveiled the new town bus on Thursday.

The new bus is 40 feet-11 feet larger than the current fleet and it is fully accessible as well.

Brian MacDonald, director of engineering, said that the reason for the larger bus is to meet the demands of the people during the mid-day hours.

He said that they previously turned people away because the bus was full at peak times during the day.

The bus is heavy duty, while the current fleet is medium duty. MacDonald hopes that this will improve its durability.

The vehicle was manufactured in Winnipeg and designed to handle rough winter time and reduce downtime.

The bus costs about $400,000 and was paid through the federal gas tax funding. MacDonald hopes that another bus will be purchased this year.

Here are the changes that have been made in the route:

- The cross-town bus will no longer travel along Ronell Crescent. There will be a new stop installed on the Pretty River Parkway below the southern entrance of Ronell Crescent;

- The east route will move north on Minnesota Street to Huron Street, then continue east along Huron. At Napier Place, there will be a new stop located on Huron Street. This will give residents an easy access from the front door of their homes, and will function more conveniently for passengers shopping at Sobeys

- The bus stop at the corner of Sixth and Spruce Streets will be removed, and a new one will be added at Spruce and Fifth Street. The western route will now turn to Fifth Street from High Street and continue east from there.

- The eastern route will head north on Hurontario Street, then turn east along Hamilton Street, and continue its normal route to Paterson Street. A new bus stop will be added at Hurontario and Hamilton Streets, and another one at Hamilton and Paterson Streets.