New overnight bus routes will take vulnerable Edmontonians to downtown shelters this winter

Edmonton Transit Service buses. (CTV News Edmonton)

The City of Edmonton has launched two overnight bus routes to take vulnerable citizens to downtown shelters this winter.

From now until March 31, the following two routes will run daily:

• North route starting from Northgate Transit Centre to downtown, 10 p.m. to 4:30 a.m.
• South route starting from Southgate Transit Centre to downtown, 11 p.m. to 5:30 a.m.

Both buses will have staff to help passengers access shelters and other services, the city said in its Monday release.

A third bus will be added when the city activates its Extreme Weather Response, which is triggered before the are three consecutive days with -20 C weather, wind chill included.

The Extreme Weather Response will include 50 temporary shelter spaces at Al Rashid Mosque in north Edmonton and recreation centres and libraries will be available for people to warm up.

Shelter locations, hours and services can be found here.