Edmonton transit advocates warn of possible 13% reduction to service if city doesn’t invest more in its buses

A group of transit advocates in Edmonton is calling on city council to invest $387 million in its aging bus fleet, otherwise, they warn of potential cuts to service, longer wait times and a decline in ridership.

The group, a non-profit called Edmonton Transit Riders, is speaking up as the city’s urban planning committee prepares to review a new report Tuesday that lays out three possible scenarios moving forward.

But the group says it believes there is only one scenario, involving a targeted renewal of buses, that can avoid a possible reduction to Edmonton’s bus service of at least 13 per cent, as warned about in the report.

“Cutting our service by 13 per cent means cutting our reliability by 13 per cent,” Emily Stremel, the chair of Edmonton Transit Riders, told CBC News on Friday. “We know that reliability is the No. 1 driver of ridership.

“We will lose a lot of that ridership that we’ve gained over the past few years. Ridership means cars off the road, it means less congestion, it means less pollution.”

State of bus fleet

According to the report, the city implemented a midlife bus refurbishment program years ago to extend the useful life of buses beyond the manufacturer’s 12-year standard.

The report says while the average bus in North America is retired after 15 years, in Edmonton it’s 24. Stremel noted more than 50 per cent of the city’s bus fleet is considered to be in poor or very poor condition.

Coun. Jon Morgan, a former bus driver, praised the ingenuity of Edmonton’s mechanical crews for stretching out the life of city buses over the years, but said he believes it can’t continue like this.

“The [Edmonton] Transit Riders are correct that we need to make sure that we are investing in renewal just as much as maintaining our current fleet,” he said.

Morgan said a 13 per cent reduction in service would impact “people trying to get to school, people getting to work and could have a hugely detrimental impact on our economy.”

Morgan is part of the city’s urban planning committee that will review the report Tuesday.