Edmonton Transit Riders Call for $387 Million Bus Fleet Investment

A group of transit advocates in Edmonton is calling on city council to invest $387 million in its aging bus fleet. The non-profit Edmonton Transit Riders warned that without the investment the city could face a reduction to bus service of at least 13 per cent, along with longer wait times and declining ridership.

The group made its position known as the city's urban planning committee prepares to review a new report Tuesday that lays out three possible scenarios moving forward.

Edmonton Transit Riders said it believes only one scenario, involving a targeted renewal of buses, can avoid the service reduction 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. ”

the 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.

While the average bus in North America is retired after 15 years, in Edmonton it is 24 years. Stremel noted that 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 and member of the urban planning committee, praised the ingenuity of Edmonton's mechanical crews for stretching out the life of city buses over the years. He said he believes the approach cannot continue. Morgan added that a 13 per cent reduction in service would affect people trying to get to school and work and could have a detrimental impact on the local economy.