Beginning Sunday, September 3, Edmonton Transit Service (ETS) fall service changes will be in effect.

As a result of these adjustments, riders will see the resumption of school routes and trips and increased frequency on many regular bus routes during AM/PM peaks. ETS is also increasing off-peak bus service hours by 500 hours per week in September to improve equitable access to transit service for Edmontonians. Several of the key changes include new routes and extensions, as well as continuing successful service adjustments incorporated over the summer. These changes are highlighted below, along with an overview of the broader adjustments occuring this fall.

New Routes, Extensions and Key Updates

Route 31: Starting September 5, riders can use Route 31, which will provide express service – using a dedicated bus lane – from the University of Alberta to the Leger Transit Centre on Terwillegar Drive. This route provides increased capacity to a growing part of the city and will initially operate on weekdays, excluding statutory holidays. Additional time periods will be explored in the future.

Route 56: As of July, this route has been extended to the Meadows Transit Centre and Meadows Community Recreation Centre. This extension adds a direct connection to the LRT and West Edmonton Mall for residents between Mill Woods and the Meadows Transit Centre, increasing community access to employment and recreational activities.

Route 500X: This route will begin two-way service between Downtown (MacEwan) and Meadows and will also include mid-day service. This route will also have a minor routing change downtown: trips will now start and end at 103 Avenue and 106 Street westbound (#11382) instead of 108 Street and 104 Avenue (#1824). This route provides additional service for the City’s growing southeast communities and addresses rider requests for more service along Connors Road.

Route 727: Route 727, which was originally added in June, will be made permanent, providing weekday peak service between Chappelle and Century Park. This route will provide additional service for the west Chappelle, including service to Dr. Anne Anderson School and Community Centre.

School Special Routes
Three new school routes have been added for Dr. Anne Anderson (664, 668), Jasper Place (677) and St. Francis Xavier (677). Four school routes have also been expanded for Dr. Anne Anderson (665), Archbishop MacDonald (681), H.E. Beriault (674) and Austin O’Brien (633).

A variety of school special routes will also see an earlier start to their PM peaks to accommodate student ridership.

On Demand Transit

As of July, On Demand Transit service for seniors has been extended, moving from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. to 7 a.m. – 7 p.m. This five-hour service extension significantly increases flexibility for seniors and directly addresses their feedback.

Starting in September, residents in portions of Maple, Tamarack, and Aster will also see additional On Demand Transit service. This expansion addresses a specific transit need for these communities and will provide riders with enhanced access to employment, recreation and other activities.

Further, in response to public feedback, ETS is replacing the high-frequency bus service on Route 722 with On Demand Transit service within Blackmud Creek. ETS will also be restoring service further south along Blackmud Creek Crescent, providing the following benefits and outcomes:
Provide On-Demand Transit service throughout Blackmud Creek and restore service in south Blackmud Creek Crescent to reduce walking distances within the neighbourhood.

The service span of Route 722 is weekdays from 5:30 a.m. to 1 a.m., on Saturdays from 5:30 a.m. to 12:30 a.m. and Sundays from 6 a.m. to midnight.
The service hours of On Demand Transit are weekdays from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m, Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Reduced bus volumes and noise on Blackmud Creek Drive by rerouting Route 722 to James Mowatt Trail.
Most of Blackmud Creek is still within 600 metres of bus stops on Ellerslie Road (Route 521 – Century Park/Mill Woods) or James Mowatt Trail (Route 722 – Century Park).

ETS will carefully evaluate the impact of these service changes over the next year, gathering feedback from both riders and residents as well as monitoring ridership data.

More information about On Demand Transit service can be found at edmonton.ca/OnDemandTransit.

Construction/Detours

Latta Bridge construction is on track to be completed in late October. This will see Route 2 (WEM), Route 2-Owl (WEM), and Route 101 (Abbotsfield) return to East Stadium Transit Centre at Bay F (#1407). Route 2-Owl (Clareview) will return to Bay G (#1408) at East Stadium Transit Centre. When construction is complete, Route 998 (Stadium Shuttle) will be cancelled.
Summer Streets is scheduled to go until November 5 (weather permitting). When that project has concluded, Routes 701 (Kingsway RAH) and 726 (University) will return to 104 Street / Calgary Trail.
Due to renewal work on 132 Avenue, Routes 106, 150X and School Specials will continue to detour until the renewal work is complete in late October.
Route 5 will return to two-directional service on 124 Street and 114 Avenue when 124 Street renewal work is completed in late October.

Holiday and Special Event Service Changes
Transit service is reduced on holidays and in alignment with public, Catholic and post-secondary school calendars.
On September 4 (Labour Day), buses and LRT will run Sunday service.
On September 25 and October 20, buses will run regular weekday schedules with no public school service.
On September 30 (National Day of Truth and Reconciliation), buses will run regular Saturday service.
On October 2, buses will run regular weekday service with no Catholic school service in lieu of National Day of Truth and Reconciliation.
On October 9 (Thanksgiving), buses will run Sunday service.
On November 11 (Remembrance Day), buses will run regular Saturday service. On November 13, buses will run regular weekday service with no school or post secondary service in lieu of Remembrance Day.
From November 9-14, buses run regular weekday schedules with no public/Catholic school specials.
From November 14-17 (Fall Reading Week), buses run regular weekday schedules, with no Route 622 service to Concordia University and reduced Route 4 service to the University of Alberta.

Other service changes

Route 110X – Stops have been added northbound and southbound at 107 Avenue and 109 Street.
Route 140X will service all stops on 127 Street between 118 Avenue and 148 Avenue.
Route 701 will have a permanent route change starting travelling directly north and south on 106 Street between 51 Avenue and 56 Avenue starting November 5. New bus stops will be established on 106 Street between 51 Avenue and 56 Avenue.
Route 724 will now travel counterclockwise when travelling through Brander Gardens, instead of clockwise. This is a one-year pilot project for all traffic with the goal of increasing pedestrian safety around Tempo and Brander Gardens Schools. Route 724 will have temporary stops on 148 Street northbound between 56 Avenue and Riverbend Road.
Route 920X will operate express service between West Edmonton Mall Transit Centre and 82 Avenue (U of A campus).
Strathcona County Transit Route 411 will add stops in Cloverdale at 98 Avenue and 96A Streets (#2242 & #2127) to service Cloverdale residents and provide future connections to the Valley Line LRT Southeast at Muttart Station. For riders using Arc, please remember to tap on/off to help ensure you are charged the appropriate fare. Riders can use ETS fare to travel within Edmonton. More information is available at https://www.edmonton.ca/ets/regional-service.

Riders are encouraged to plan their trips early by using the trip planner on edmonton.ca/transit or Google Maps and selecting a date after September 3.