Passengers jaywalk on Grafton Street several times a day to transfer buses. (Pat Martel/CBC)

T3 Transit is working on a way to make transferring between buses on Grafton Street in Charlottetown safer for passengers.

Buses stop on both sides of the street in front of the Confederation Centre and the Charlottetown Mall about eight or nine times a day.

The buses are only there long enough to allow transfers. Passengers could go up to the nearest crosswalk lights and wait for the lights to turn, but their transfer bus would be gone by then. So passengers jaywalk through traffic.

Last year, the City of Charlottetown told T3 Transit that it could not have a downtown central depot for transferring passengers. The company came up with a new plan, reworking schedules so that all the buses arrived at about the same time.

Mike Cassidy, owner of T3 Transit, says Charlottetown bylaws allow for pedestrian safety zones. (CBC)

While the bus transfer area may be efficient, the plan has created a safety issue.

So, T3 owner Mike Cassidy is asking city council to create a safety zone for pedestrians by painting lines on the road.

"In the bylaws there is a way to actually have a marked pedestrian area across the middle of the block," said Cassidy.

"If you can think of what you would have in front of Sobeys or in front of the Atlantic Superstore, where there is cars going through. But if the motorists are alerted to the fact, then again it's one more step that we could be very conscious of the fact that there could be people crossing the street."

Coun. Terry Bernard, chair of Charlottetown Council's transit committee. said the committee is willing to entertain any ideas that will make transferring between buses safer.

Under the Charlottetown Traffic Act the fine for jaywalking is between $50 and $100.