According to ridership data included in the 10-year transit plan, Airdrie\u2019s Intercity Express (ICE) Route 900, which goes from Airdrie Downtown, down to the South Terminal, into CrossIron Mills, and then to the Whitehorn and Rundle LRT stations and over to the Peter Lougheed Hospital, sees between 25,000 and 35,000 riders per month.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not clear how many of those passengers make actual transfers to Calgary Transit services. When they do access city services, they\u2019re asked to pay an additional fare, something the transit plan said was a problem for Airdrie residents.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Greater Calgary transit network should be further integrated in terms of service and fare,\u201d the document\u2019s transit policy implications read<\/a>.<\/p>\n The plan also calls for more northwest Calgary connections and expansion within Airdrie city limits.<\/p>\n Integration is key, but so is cost recovery, Mayor Farkas says<\/p>\n Ward 2 Coun. Jennifer Wyness said these initial conversations on fare integration need to lead to bigger discussions around advancing regional transportation in general.<\/p>\n Wyness, whose north Calgary ward is a stone\u2019s throw from Airdrie, said that she\u2019s hoping a conversation on fares will change how the city itself takes fares from customers.<\/p>\n \u201cI get a lot of complaints. I can go to social media and see a lot of complaints about how we take payment and validate fares on our transit network,\u201d she said. \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cSo, I think this is a great conversation to start now because it does take time.\u201d<\/p>\n Beyond fare integration, Wyness said that it\u2019s worth examining how Calgary Transit hubs could be the terminus for Airdrie bus routes. Instead of having their bus routes deliver people to different points in Calgary, they could bring them to key points that connect to the Calgary Transit network.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I go to Google Maps, there are routes that are easier for me to get to Airdrie than probably to the downtown core, but we\u2019re not servicing that,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re doing these regional maps, and that requires planning. We\u2019re building bus hubs like Sage Hill that could easily be a stop for someone from Airdrie to get into our network.\u201d<\/p>\n While he was generally supportive, Ward 10 Coun. Andre Chabot said that through the scoping report he\u2019d like the city to remain whole, and not subsidize regional transit. He said Calgary Transit is already heavily supported by Calgary taxpayers.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t want to see us further eroding the cost recovery that we\u2019re getting at the fare box by providing a service to our external customers.\u201d<\/p>\n Mayor Jeromy Farkas said that regional transit is a key cog in ensuring the long-term development and sustainability of the region. If Calgary Transit is providing the service, however, there has to be cost recovery in the conversation.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m certainly supportive of ensuring that Calgary Transit can access our outlying communities, but I also want to make sure that we\u2019re at least recovering our cost, as exists in our master service agreements for water,\u201d he said, noting that Calgary provides Airdrie with water.<\/p>\n Farkas said that there\u2019s already a blueprint for transit delivery to a regional partnership in Chestermere. Calgary Transit rolled that out five years ago<\/a>, and it\u2019s due for expansion. He doesn\u2019t want a slower process with Airdrie to inhibit advancement on the city\u2019s eastern neighbour.<\/p>\n In the not-so-distant future, Farkas sees a regionalized Calgary Transit service.<\/p>\n \u201cI think that when we look at the say 10-to-15-year prospect, it\u2019s very clear to me from my vantage point that we\u2019re going to be looking at a Calgary Transit service that serves the entire region, ideally with provincial support,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Liked it? Take a second to support Darren Krause on Patreon!<\/p>\n
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