The push to make Edmonton transit a more 'delightful' experience

City councillors were talking transit Wednesday as Edmonton officials worked on new routes, cleaner stations and more security.

The review comes as ridership levels reached about 70 per cent of what they were before the COVID-19 pandemic hit in March 2020.

"I want people to know that we hear them, and we care about their experience, and we want to keep people safe," said Carrie Hotton-MacDonald, the manager of Edmonton Transit Service.

ETS now has a $4 million cleaning budget just for shelters and train stations, and passengers can also expect to see security and more peace officer patrols at transit centres.

The system could also be expanding soon, for the first time in more than a decade.

When the new Valley Line LRT starts running to Mill Woods, council could decide to redistribute the buses from that area to other areas of the city.

"It provides an opportunity for the first time in about 14 years, to add new service hours to our bus network," Hotton-MacDonald explained.

That would amount to about 52,000 more service hours a year, and cut travel times, at a cost of $6 million.

"I think we can be more ambitious on public transit to make it a delightful experience," said mayor, and former ETS operator, Amarjeet Sohi.

He stated that Edmontonians want easier, faster, safer, cheaper and cleaner transit, but the mayor said more money is needed to make those lasting changes.

"We need to fund our public transit more appropriately and adequately," Sohi said.

ETS will soon introduce the new smart fare “Arc card” and transit staff also made about 60 route adjustments based on rider feedback, since the network overhaul last spring.

"We’re bringing, as an example, some on-demand service to some of the northern neighbourhoods. We heard loud and clear the need for additional transit support," Hotton-MacDonald said.

Council is set to discuss transit funding next month, but the most meaningful decisions will come during budget talks in December.

With files from CTV News Edmonton's Jeremy Thompson