Edmonton transit ridership up by 14%, growing faster than population

Edmonton Transit Service (ETS) ridership has grown exceeding population growth, officials said in a news release Tuesday.

From January to September 2024, ETS ridership grew 14 per cent compared to 2023.

The city says ETS is on track to move nearly 60 million riders in 2024, up from 53 million riders in 2023. Overall, ridership has exceeded pre-pandemic levels by 12 per cent since the beginning of the year, the city adds.

The opening of the Valley Line Southeast LRT in November 2023 has contributed to this increase. Nearly two million trips were taken on that new LRT line between November 2023 and August 2024, the city says.

ETS has 120 regular bus routes, 50 school routes, three LRT lines and an On Demand Transit service. Edmonton is one of five cities in Canada with a high-frequency transit grid, meaning it provides transit in the core of the city at least every 15 minutes.