Regional bus routes connecting some southern Alberta towns to Calgary are hitting the end of the line this year.
On-It Regional Transit said this week it plans to discontinue three bus routes it operates between Calgary, Cochrane and Okotoks. The company set May 29 as the final day of service for its Okotoks route, as well as its bus running from Cochrane to Brentwood in northwest Calgary. The last day of its bus line from Cochrane to downtown Calgary is scheduled for June 30.
In a statement posted online, On-It said several factors are making its southern Alberta bus routes unsustainable.
“With an aging fleet of motor coaches, combined with significant increases in operating costs over the past several years, there are no economically viable options available to replace these buses while maintaining affordable ticket prices,” the company said.
(Terri Trembath/CBC)
The routes’ current ridership isn’t high enough to cover the company’s operating costs, the statement said.
Unused tickets for discontinued lines will be refunded, it said.
On-It’s bus routes have run between Okotoks and Calgary for a decade, and between Cochrane and Calgary since 1994. The buses previously operated under the name of the company that owns and operates On-It, Southland Transportation.
Cochrane exploring alternatives
On-It’s announcement came as a surprise to Cochrane, said the town’s director of social development Matt Knox. But he said the decision makes sense given the costs Southland faces.
Roughly 50 people use On-It daily to travel between Cochrane and Calgary, largely to commute to work or school, said Knox.
Cochrane launched several in-town fixed bus routes last summer to complement its on-request system. Knox said introducing more fixed routes to reach more of Cochrane is a higher priority for the town than a route to Calgary.
But a lot of Cochranites have also asked for a commuter bus to Calgary, Knox said. The town is exploring whether any private companies can fill the void Southland is leaving behind, even if the answer offers less service or smaller buses.
Knox said if another level of government helped fund inter-region transit in Alberta, the town would consider running a bus line to Calgary itself. Failing that, the town cannot afford to run a similar bus route.
“When we did the feasibility assessment for the municipality, the larger issue is the capital costs associated with these buses,” said Knox, adding that rising fuel prices are also a factor. “You’re looking at a million dollars per coach bus, and it’s not sustainable.”
Okotoks bus cut on short notice
Tanya Thorn, the mayor of Okotoks, said her office heard about On-It’s decision about an hour before the news went public.
She said she’s unsure if the town could have supported Southland, but the two sides could have discussed whether there were any other options to keep the route operating.
“It definitely wasn’t on our radar at all. We hadn’t gotten any heads-up at all that there were concerns or there were any challenges with it,” said Thorn.
“Every business that operates in our town doesn’t need to give us a heads-up. But I do think when you’re providing services that residents rely on, we could be a partner. There could have been a conversation.”
Okotoks Mayor Tanya Thorn said she wishes the town had had more of an opportunity to discuss potential options with Southland before the closure of the On-It transit line to Calgary was announced. (Monty Kruger/CBC)
The On-It route to Okotoks was celebrated when it was introduced in 2016 for how it would reduce emissions and wear-and-tear on Alberta’s roads.
As in Cochrane, Thorn said her town is investing in expanding its internal transit system, and she’s unsure if Okotoks will have the resources to replace the route to Calgary.
Losing On-It’s service is indicative of how all levels of government in Canada need to collaborate more on a long-term transportation vision, said Thorn.
“Transit always seems to be on the bottom rung for investment.”
On-It’s Bow Valley route discontinuing
On-It’s summer bus line between Calgary and the Bow Valley also won’t return this year.
After being contracted to provide weekend bus service from Calgary to Banff and Canmore since 2017, Southland did not submit a bid to continue that work this summer.
The Bow Valley Regional Transit Services Commission didn’t have enough time to find another viable bidder to replace On-It this summer. But Town of Banff spokesperson Jason Darrah said more private companies have stepped up to run buses between Calgary and Banff in recent years. On-It transported less than one per cent of the mountain town’s visitors, Darrah said.
Banff is still advocating to the provincial and federal governments to partner on a daily mass transit service to Calgary, Darrah said.
He added that the town will monitor the availability of an affordable, convenient bus service to know whether a replacement for On-It’s route is needed.