EDMONTON -- Councils in 13 municipalities will decide in the coming weeks whether to support a regional transit system.
"Public transportation is a critical service in any community and as our region continues to grow and become more interconnected, we have to take a regional approach to planning and coordinating how this and other services will operate," co-chair and Edmonton City Councillor Michael Walters said.
Representatives from the Regional Transit Services Commission (RTSC) Transition team shared their Accelerating Transit in the Edmonton Metropolitan Region report on Wednesday, making a business case for a new regional system.
"The report identifies that a regional transit services commission will create improved opportunities for seamless travel across the region and doing so with operational savings of more than $3.4 million annually once the system is fully operationalized," chair and St. Albert city councillor Wes Broadhead said.
In addition to cost savings, the transition team found that a regional mindset would improve mobility and options for all residents of the region.
Thirteen municipalities in the capital region are considering integrated transit services:
- The City of Beaumont
- The Town of Devon
- The City of Edmonton
- The City of Fort Saskatchewan
- The City of Leduc
- Leduc County
- The Town of Morinville
- Parkland County
- The City of St. Albert
- The City of Spruce Grove
- Strathcona County
- The Town of Stony Plain
- Sturgeon County
If all the municipalities are on board, a regional system could be up and running in 2022.
The RTSC must get approval from the Government of Alberta before it can officially begin operations.
With files from CTV News Edmonton's Sarah Plowman
