What you need to know ahead of ETS fall schedule launch on Sept. 1

With school almost back in session, Edmonton Transit Service will see service adjustments from Sept. 1 to include various school special routes to reflect typical fall ridership patterns. It is one of five service adjustments made each year based on ridership patterns.

ETS says limited school specials will be in service based on last year’s school times on Aug. 29-30, and full school specials service will begin Sept. 3.

School special service is expanded to new schools, including Father Michael McCaffery (Route 658, 659, 663) and Elder Dr. Francis Whiskeyjack (Routes 644, 645, 646, 647). Eastglen (Route 627) and Sir John Thompson (Route 618) schools will see additional service.

Bus bay reassignments

• Abbottsfield – Route 8 will be moved to a different bay to help this route enter and exit the transit centre more smoothly.
• Belvedere – LRT replacement service will now be provided at two different bays. This change will make it more clear for riders which bus is heading south and which bus will take them north.
• Castle Downs/Northgate – With Routes 126 and 109 merging, bays at these transit centres will be updated for the new Route 109A/B.
• Clareview – Routes will better align service with rider demand.
• Kingsway – Routes will better align service with rider demand. Rider Express buses will be moved onto 111 Avenue.
• Lakewood – Routes will now be moving back to their original locations now that construction has shifted to a new phase.
• Meadows – Better align service for Routes 506 and 516 for riders travelling to the new Elder Dr. Francis Whiskeyjack High School.
• Mill Woods/South Campus – Bus bays will be moved to help this route enter and exit the transit centre more smoothly.
• Southgate – Bus bays will be moved to help the transit centre operate more efficiently. Rider Express/FlixBus buses will be moved onto 111 Street.
• Stadium – Route 622 is being moved from Coliseum Station to Stadium Station.

Construction and detours

Several construction projects that started in the summer will continue to lead to transit detours through the fall. This includes construction related to the 132 Avenue Renewal Project, EPCOR work on 34 Street and construction on 57 Avenue in west Edmonton. More details are available here.

On Demand Transit

Starting Sept. 1, On Demand Transit service will be added to Rundle Park (Aquatic and Recreation Centre and Rundle Family Centre) and Enoch Cree First Nation (108 Apartments and River Cree Casino). Abbottsfield Transit Centre will be the transit hub for Rundle Park operations while Lewis Farms Transit Centre will be the transit hub for Enoch Cree First Nation operations.

Three additional peak buses and one off-peak bus will be added to the service, ETS said, to deal with longer wait times caused by growing ridership.

Holiday and special event service change

• September 2 (Labour Day), buses and LRT will run Sunday service.
• September 30 (National Day of Truth and Reconciliation), buses will run regular weekday service. All school specials are cancelled, including Route 622 and shorter Route 4 trips.
• October 14 (Thanksgiving), buses and LRT will run Sunday service.
• November 11 (Remembrance Day), buses and LRT will run regular Saturday service.
• November 12-15 (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.
• There will be no public school specials on October 11 and November 1, 8, 12 and 13 due to Edmonton Public School students being off those days.
• There will also be no Catholic school specials on November 8 and 12 due to Edmonton Catholic School students being off those days.

Low ridership service reductions

• Route 122 will run every 30 minutes instead of 20 minutes during AM Peak.
• Route 522 – During midday/evening and weekends, this route will run every 60 minutes instead of every 30.
• Route 702 – PM Peak will now be every 15 minutes.
• Route 900X – AM/PM Peak will now run every 10 minutes instead of every 7 minutes. Midday/evening will now run every 20 minutes instead of every 15.

Other route changes

• Route 8 will be rerouted around Abbottsfield Transit Centre and will now travel clockwise around the Riverview Crossing Shopping Centre.
• Routes 52 and 924 will swap the streets they run along between 88 Avenue and 95 Avenue. Route 52 will now run along 163 Street and Route 924 will now run along 168 Street, 93 Avenue and 165 Street.This adjustment will provide service for Jasper Place, St. Francis Xavier and the Jasper Place Leisure Centre during all time periods. Route 924 will not only see more peak service, but will have weekend service added to help support other destinations along the route.
• Routes 109 and 126 will be combined into Route 109A/B. This adjustment helps decrease the number of transfers required to access Northgate Transit Centre from northwest Edmonton. This routing change will also help serve newly constructed areas in the Griesbach neighbourhood. Route 109A will run clockwise and Route 109B will run counterclockwise.
• Route 727 will now operate along additional sections of 119A Avenue now that road construction is completed.
• Express Routes 130X, 140X, 150X and 500X will have a number of stops added.

Updated transit centre maps can be found at here. Riders are encouraged to plan their trips early by using the ETS trip planner or Google Maps and selecting a date after Sept. 1.