A Saint John councillor is pushing to restore some Saint John Transit bus routes and services at an estimated cost of up to $400,000.

Ward 3 Coun. Donnie Snook, wants to see early morning service again, as well as evening service to the city's priority neighbourhoods, including the south end, Crescent Valley, Wright Street and Churchill Heights/Milford.

Coun. Donnie Snook says it's critical to restore some of Saint John Transit's routes. (CBC)

Snook, who is a member of the transit commission, also believes the hospital and university routes should be running all day, rather than just during peak hours.

"Winter is coming and it becomes even more of a challenge for elderly people especially, or a mom with kids," Snook told CBC News on Tuesday.

"It becomes difficult to move around our city unless we've got more frequent bus service as well as one that has to span from early in the morning to later in the evening. People work shifts for instance. So it's critical," he said.

Council will consider Snook's proposal during 2013 budget consultations.

Last fall, the city slashed Saint John Transit's budget by nearly $200,000, leading to a reduction in hours on the road and staff layoffs.

Transit commission officials say the cutbacks have hurt ridership levels.

Officials expect to end the year with 250,000 fewer rides than last year. That's about 100,000 more than they initially predicted.

"The fact that Saint John Transit's ridership loss was so significant is directly related to the later morning bus service that we implemented this past year," said Snook.

"So obviously reinstating some of these services is going to mean a dedication of more funds."