Transit Advocacy Updates
I have heard first hand from many residents how important reliable transit is to them. As our city grows, I will continue to advocate for funding and improvements to public transit.
This past fall, I was successful in making some efficient changes to several bus routes in Ward 3.
Helpful Links:
Winter driving conditions result in delays for everyone, including buses. Customers still need to be prepared for weather when transit works to clear snow from routes. You can read more here about how transit prioritizes snow clearing, and report snow and ice issues concerning Calgary Transit properties here.
#115 Tuscany/North Pointe - Carrington, Livingston, Panorama Hills, Coventry Hills, Country Hills Village
In September 2024, the Symons Valley Parkway Route #115 was extended eastward to connect to North Point Terminal via 144th AVE N and 1 ST NE/Harvest Hills BLVD. This now provides a connection to/from North Pointe Terminal and surrounding commercial centres to major destinations in NW Calgary and Tuscany Station.
The portion in yellow is the new extension.
Routing was changed for Route #115 and service frequency has improved. These changes allowed for an increase in service along the 144th AVE and 1 ST NE/Harvest Hills BLVD area and helped to alleviate some of the crowding on Routes #124 and #421 between North Pointe and North Trail High School.
#8 North Pointe/Foothills - Snow Detour Change - Panorama Hills, Hanson Ranch, Hidden Valley, Country Hills, Harvest Hills
The #8 is one of the busiest routes in Ward 3. A resident in Panorama Hills wrote to my office with concerns about the efficiency of the snow detour route. After bringing these concerns to Calgary Transit, a change in the route was made to improve coverage and avoid stuck buses during heavy snowfall.
The Ward 3 office has been advocating to Calgary Transit, and they are well aware some of Ward 3’s busiest routes, like the #8, experience overloads at peak times during the day. Operators are unable to stop and let more people on once the bus has reached capacity, but they do report all overloads (times when they have to leave customers behind) to Control, and those overloads are tracked to inform future adjustments. Adjustments can include changes to service and/or frequency, or assigning a larger (articulated) bus to a route instead of a standard bus.
Transit recognizes that Route #8 is one of the busier routes, and they will prioritize it when resources become available. In the meantime, they are also looking into changes to the routes (as mentioned on this page) that current Route #8 customers can choose as an alternative, easing some of the crowding.
You can view all snow detours here.
The new detour route (right) will utilize Harvest Hills Blvd instead of Panorama Hills Blvd.
#301 BRT North/City Centre - Services North Calgary to Downtown
There has been a major increase in ridership on Route #301. In September, Transit was able to add articulated 6-foot buses in the areas of highest demand. This route will continue to be monitored and prioritzed for future changes.
#123 Sage Hill/North Pointe - Snow Detour Change - Country Hills, Panorama, Hidden Valley, Hanson Ranch
The snow detour for Route #123 was also changed. In Panorama, buses heading toward North Pointe will travel from Hidden Valley Link NW to southbound Beddington Trail, east on Country Hills Blvd, north on Panorama Hills Blvd, and west on Panamount Blvd. Buses heading away from North Pointe will not be detoured in Panorama. Buses heading toward and away from Sage Hill will take slight detours.
Bus Routes #115 and #124 drop off directly at North Trail High School. Bus Route #8 also stops at North Pointe Terminal near NTHS.
Why isn’t there a dedicated Calgary Transit bus for North Trail High School?
This is a common question I’ve received from residents since the opening of the new high school. Yellow school bus transportation is up to the discretion of school boards. All high school students and some Grade 6-9’s are designated to use Calgary Transit instead. While there is an increase to demand during peak periods, the City does not receive additional funding to provide additional buses for students.
The extension made to the #115 helps provide additional transit capacity and is now another option for students travelling to NTHS.
Bus Routes #115 and #124 drop off directly at North Trail High School. Bus Routes #8, #123, and #124 also stop at North Pointe Terminal nearby.
How is ridership monitored?
Calgary Transit monitors ridership through ticket scans at the door. Their Automatic Passenger count System records all boardings and disembarking through this method. This information feeds into their planning and scheduling system for all routes and stops. The data is monitored and updated quarterly - future updates will occur in December, March, June and September.
Where are we at with Transit Fleet?
Currently, Calgary Transit’s fleet consists of approximately 1,324 vehicles across multiple fuel types, broken down as follows:
*Shuttle counts do not include the battery electric shuttles,as they are not replacing existing fleet or growing the fleet. Rather, as shared previously, they will be used for the pilot program to understand e-shuttle operations in the Calgary context.
Route Ahead, Calgary’s Transit Planning Strategy envisions the City’s Primary Transit Network operating every 10-minutes. This requires procuring 540 new buses, including electric, over a 10-year period.
As well, Calgary Transit is mindful of the need for growth to meet emerging transit demands. Due to current budgetary and market constraints, Calgary Transit does not anticipate adding new vehicles until the next four year budget, 2027-2031. At that time, Transit plans to add approximately 14 new vehicles annually to support growth. However, it’s important to note that there is currently no approved budget for this at this time.
Transit will bring forward a capital budget request as part of the 2027-2030 business cycle budget development process to address these needs.
Why are we using Electric Buses/Green Fleet?
Calgary is reaching our capacity for purchasing natural gas buses this year. Calgary Transit currently has 246 compressed natural gas buses, with 120 more coming. Stoney Trail Facility holds capacity of 424, so The City could only order 58 more 40-foot buses after this. As Calgary Transit's old diesel and gas-powered buses are reaching their end of life, Transit is diversifying and modernizing their fleet to include compressed natural gas, electric, and gas-powered vehicles, in addition to diesel.