You may have started to notice red bus stop closures stickers on some signs in your neighbourhood. The Edmonton Transit (ETS) is preparing for their transition to a new bus route system in the spring.
Be sure to take a walk to see if any of your favourite stops are affected. The City of Edmonton is putting ‘closing soon’ stickers on the bus stop signs that will be affected. You can learn more about the route changes on the Edmonton Transit website.
The new routes have been under discussion for about 4 years now, with many public engagement sessions. These bus stop closures were supposed to be in place this summer, but due to Covid-19, the City of Edmonton decided to delay these changes. These changes will now take place on April 25 2021.
The City has undergone restructuring to make sure neighbourhoods have the connections to the different parts of the city in new ways. They are implementing a number of different route types.
New Edmonton Transit Route Types
Frequent
Routes will have buses that come every 15 minutes or better, 7 days a week at most times of the day and most days of the week
Rapid
Routes, which are express routes, have limited stops that quickly connect suburbs with downtown destinations
Crosstown
Routes will connect key destinations without going through downtown
Local
Routes will connect neighbourhoods to local destinations and other routes
Community
Routes will connect seniors’ residences with nearby services
Edmonton Transit On Demand Service
There will be an introduction of on-demand services that can assist residents in some neighbourhoods better access LRT or Transit Centres, These smaller transit buses will be accessible and have no set routes, they will simply work on demand when residents request a ride. I’ll be sharing more of this service in the coming months.
If you are looking to buy a home, you’ll want to review transit service for your new location. Can students get to school on ETS? Could you get to work or shopping if your car was in for repairs? How far of a walk do you have to a bus stop in bad weather? Transit access can affect your future resale - having better access means buyers without a car can consider purchasing your home for sale. Less transit access can make a home harder to sell as it limits the number of buyers to only those who do drive. Doing a bit of research will go along way to help you be better prepared for your sale or purchase.
I encourage you to use the Edmonton Transit Interactive Map and start becoming familiar with what bus stop closures may affect your neighborhood. Some communities are impacted very little, while others are impacted heavily. Do your research now so you have no surprises in the spring!
