With the latest changes made to the transit routes as of September 5 and through the summer there are now 15 heated bus shelters that are no longer in use because they no longer coincide with active bus routes, according to the RMWB.
Many of those shelters will be redeployed in the coming months along the updated routes.
“We make service changes and updates approximately every three or four months as we evaluate ridership, feedback and residents’ needs. Shelters are evaluated on an ongoing basis to ensure all infrastructure is used in a sustainable manner with community needs in mind,” said William Collins, a press secretary with the RMWB.
In the short-term, the RMWB is moving inactive shelters from Abasand and Beacon Hill and redeploying them for use on Franklin Avenue at a cost of $7,000 per shelter. This is something that is done on an as needs basis as routes and ridership shift through the region.
One of the major changes in the routes through the summer months and continuing with the September 5 update is an increase in routes along the Confederation Way and Thickwood Boulevard Loop. Collins said the RMWB has plans to redeploy eight refurbished shelters around that loop at a total cost of $56,000. In the short-term these won’t be heated, but Transit Services is looking into options for the future.
Installing heated shelters along the loop will come at a higher cost, for which Collins said the RMWB has already applied to the provincial and federal governments for funding through two grants, the “Green Trip Funding Grant” and the “Public Transit Infrastructure Fund Grant.” Approval for the projects and funding is currently pending and would have to be approved by council as part of the annual budgeting process.
Many of the current stops along the route are linked to the road only by grass boulevards with nothing for passengers to board the buses by. Collins said the RMWB is working on connecting those stops to regular walkways and ensuring snow clearing work will be done through the winter months.
Transit updates
For more information on the latest changes to the routes head to RMWB.ca/transit. The updates are effective as of September 5 and will not be reflected on printed booklets.
“The future of transit is based on ridership,” said Robert Kirby, Director of Transit Services. “Our goal is to provide safe, efficient and reliable transit for all residents, and with the changes we made in July, we’re already seeing an increase in ridership. We’re extremely proud of our service and we intend to review our system on an ongoing basis, making adjustments based on ridership and feedback from residents.”
Highlights of the updated service include:
- Improved high school and junior high school service to get students to schools more efficiently and safely, including service to Abasand, Beacon Hill and Grayling Terrace.
- Increased service to every half hour along Routes 1 and 2 during peak hours – approximately 7 – 9 a.m., and 4 – 6 p.m.
- Staggered scheduling of Routes 10 and 11 to provide service from downtown to Gregoire every 15 minutes.
- Updated routing for the Airport Shuttle (Route 11), which will terminate at TaigaNova to provide increased hotel service.
- Airport Shuttle (Route 11) service to the Fort McMurray International Airport every thirty minutes from 5 a.m. to 1:30 a.m., seven days a week from the Main-and-Franklin terminal.
- Updated stops along the new transit routes connecting Timberlea (Route 15) and Thickwood (Route 16) via clockwise and counter-clockwise loops. Both routes begin and end at the Main-and-Franklin terminal and will run every thirty minutes, from 5 a.m. to 1:30 a.m., seven days a week.
- The Airport Shuttle connects with the Routes 15 and 16 downtown, and will take residents to and from Thickwood and Timberlea with one transfer.
- Specific community routes will now be offered hourly, with service for some routes ending by 11 p.m.
- Some routes have been eliminated, reduced or combined with other routes to provide more effective service and create a more sustainable transit system for all residents.
