Cold snap caused long, chilly commutes for Calgary Transit riders, data shows

If you get to work by bus, you may have suffered through long, cold commutes this week.

And you're not alone.

Calgary Transit says its bus routes have been much slower than normal for this time of year.

Buses were late picking up passengers 25 per cent of the time on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday this week, which meant riders had to wait in frigid temperatures as the mercury sank below –20 C.

Stephen Tauro, customer information and service co-ordinator for Calgary Transit, says the delays were caused by icy roads, which slowed traffic considerably.

"People just want to be safe, they're giving extra space in-between vehicles, driving usually below the speed limits, just to make sure they are safe out there," he said.

"And the bus is not exempt from traffic, we're mixed in there. So we're facing all the exact same conditions as all the other motorists."

And Tauro says riders were fairly understanding.

"We haven't received many complaints in terms of delays," he said. "I think everyone knows Calgary is a winter city and we're all out there together, battling the same cold conditions. "Generally, we all want to get to our destination safely, so we really appreciate the understanding from our customers."

The rising temperatures seen Thursday have led to a big improvement as buses were late 11 per cent of the time during the morning commute, which is actually better than normal.

"The sun is out and there's less traffic delays," said Tauro.

In 2018, Tauro says, buses were on time an average of 84 per cent of the time in the month of February, and last week, before the cold snap hit, that number was at about 87 per cent.