Group transit ride held to raise awareness of public transportation importance

A group of 250 people await the arrival of an Edmonton LRT train to take them to the yet-to-be-opened Blatchford Gate Station on Oct. 20, 2024, for a transit supporters event. (Brandon Lynch/CTV News Edmonton)

A group of transit supporters showed their passion for public transportation Sunday on Edmonton's LRT system.

A part of Canada Transit Action Week, 250 people – in support of Edmonton Transit Riders – boarded four LRT cars at Stadium Station for the unopened Blatchford Gate station near the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology on Sunday morning.

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The event was held to raise awareness of the need for increased operational funding for public transportation in the city, said Daniel Witte, the board chair for the group that started in April.

He said having "different layers of transit" is important to connect people to employment, education and the community.

"It's incredibly important for a healthy community to have public transportation. Everybody needs to get around, and they need to get around in a way that works for them," Witte told CTV News Edmonton on Sunday morning at Stadium Station.

The non-profit Edmonton Transit Riders group's goal is to work toward a safer, more accessible, and better public transit system for the city.

With files from CTV News Edmonton's Brandon Lynch