Over half of Edmonton buses are aging, transit group calls for renewal
Posted May 5, 2026 5:47 pm.
Last Updated May 5, 2026 6:38 pm.
Edmonton has a bus fleet of nearly 1,000, but there are concerns about the age of some of these buses, with reports of vehicles as old as 24 still on the road, well past the North American average lifespan of 15 years.
According to the City of Edmonton, 537 out of its 879 40-foot buses have been operating for more than 15 years. Edmonton transit advocacy group says over 56 per cent of fleets are in a poor state.
Emily Stremel hopes the City will go with the targeted renewal scenario that would replace 75 buses a year until 2030.
“The fact that we’re keeping buses on the road for this long is amazing, but it’s expensive. It’s expensive to repair them. It means we need to have actually more buses and garages to be able to run the same amount of service because we need backups for breakdowns,” said Stremel.
If no or little funding is put aside for fleet renewal, Edmonton’s transit riders could see a 13 per cent reduction in bus services.
“Going from a 15-minute wait to a 30-minute wait is a long difference. It means that people might not be able to get where they need to go on time. It means that it just might not be reliable enough for them to count on,” said Stremel.
However, former ETS operator and now City Councillor Jon Morgan, says City leaders are prioritizing transit in their upcoming budget talks.
“I would like to see a plan in place to make sure that we’re not renewing all at once. We’re renewing it at a gradual pace,” said Morgan.
The most expensive option, for full renewal, could cost taxpayers $300 million. Morgan says there should be a balanced approach.
“I do think we need to balance out the costs of servicing and maintaining them versus what that would cost to bring on new buses,” said Morgan.
But transit advocates have high hopes that could see new buses.
“We also know that there are decisions that are going to have to meet a budget time. This is a tight budget. There are a lot of competing priorities, but this is one that’s really important to keep the city moving,” said Stremel.
Fleet renewal will be discussed at City Hall on May 12.
