Bus route cutbacks start across the city this weekend

Seventy bus routes will be cut back, or slashed altogether, starting on Sunday as the Edmonton Transit System makes adjustments to under-performing routes across the city.

The changes affect 50,000 annual service hours, which ETS says will be transferred throughout the year to routes that are currently overcrowded or consistently not on schedule.

But riders in every corner of the city will be affected by the upcoming changes. Some will have to walk further to catch a bus or wait longer for buses that will not run as frequently.

Some routes will have services cut during off-peak hours, and a handful of routes are being cut altogether.

The route changes are dictated by a city policy that sets minimum ridership thresholds, with the thresholds adjusted to the time of day and type of service provided. For example, a regular bus route must have 30 passengers per hour at peak times and 15 passengers per hour at other times.

This is the second time ETS has gone through such cutbacks.

"When we first did this exercise last September, we pulled hours from the really low-hanging fruit where we weren't even meeting three or four boardings an hour," said ETS spokeswoman Jennifer Badry.

"We don't have that low-hanging fruit anymore. We have the ones that still aren't meeting that ridership level, but they do impact more people,"

The service hours are to be put back into the system throughout the year.

Changing demographics

The changes will be implemented just days before a major, long-term transit strategy is discussed at city hall. The 82-page report suggests re-tooling how buses connect to the LRT, adding more buses on major corridors and inner city rings, while possibly reducing service in outlying, lower ridership areas.

"It gives customers an understanding that we're at the tip of a lot changes to come because the last time we did a system redesign was over 20 years ago," Badry said.

"We've grown tremendously. Our demographic has changed. We do have those ride-sharing services that have become available. It's a totally different game when it comes to moving around the city... The transit strategy, with what it's coming forward with, will be a huge guiding piece for us."

Planners spent two years writing the transit strategy and say they consulted with 20,000 Edmonton residents.

Badry said the upcoming service changes were also made in consultation with communities, particularly when dealing with routes that run by transit-sensitive locations, such as seniors centres.

But it's still likely that many bus riders will be unhappy with any service cuts.

"It's recognizing that there has to be a balance in the system between trying to service the masses and individual needs. There's always going to be that juggling act and that sometimes difficult line to walk," Badry said.