There is a pressing need for regional transit in Saskatoon. It has not been identified as a problem. Who needs the transit?
Can’t or won’t drive (medical conditions, age)
Strongly independent seniors
Medical attention in the city
People under the age of 17
People pursuing a post secondary education
Other reasons for regional transit
Access to stores and services not available in town
Access to major hospitals
Access to the airport/ VIA rail / VIA rail north
Access to recreational parks such as Pike Lake and Wanuskewin
Reducing the wear and tear on our highways
Less worries in winter with regards to driving into the ditch (You are not on your own)
Less stress compared to driving long distances
No need to constantly brush snow off vehicles and wait for it to warm up.
Reducing Green House Gas Emissions
Vehicle numbers based upon the 2022 Highway volumes map. But from within the city the numbers are as follows.
South Highway 11: 14,450
South Lorne Ave: 4,430
South West Highway 7: 10,680
West Highway 14 : 4,470
North East Highway 16: 11,160
North Highway 12: 19,810
North East Highway 11: 11,610 and 10,390 (North Industrial)
East: 6,250
South East Highway 16: 8,620
Funding for the regional bus network should be from all 3 levels of government and the program run by the municipality of Saskatoon. The funding should also be consistent, i.e. $7,000,000 on top of the status quo in 2024 dollars in order for the operator to provide consistent service (Total of about $14,000,000 including advertising and fare collection). Saskatoon should work alongside the cities and towns in the greater area to secure funding from Infrastructure Canada.
Fare box revenue is important but not the most important. Fares should be affordable at $6.00 for an adult including a transfer for use within the city of Saskatoon. Saskatoon can have 2 zones, one for the city itself i.e. Zone S1 and Zone S2 for areas within the catchment area of the regional bus network. All the fares should be integrated into the EasyGo fare card and the Transit App.
Rolling stock does not need to be anything different from what is being used at the moment. All the 127 buses in the fleet are accessible. The 3 main bus manufacturers that the transit agency uses are Novabus, New Flyer and Vicinity. They would do far better in buying 30 ft buses from Vicinity (EV).
In order to make the transit usable frequency is key. Based upon the numbers of vehicles plying the roads and the trips that could be taken but are not. There should be at least 3 to 4 rounds trips each day on every corridor and double that for the Warman and Martensville sections.
Warman and Martensville should have a few stops to pickup and drop of passengers. Towns such as Delisle,Clavet and Osler should have their pickup point at a gas station along the highway for easy access.
The drop off points in the city:
Employment: North and South Industrial
Education: University and Sask Polytechnic
Downtown: Transit Mall
Shopping: Market Mall, Confederation Mall, Lawson Heights, Centre and 8th and Costco.
Health: University Hospital, St Paul’s Hospital, City Hospital and Sick Kids
Travel: Airport, VIA Rail, VIA Rail North (Warman)
The reason for advocating for the network to be run by the municipalities instead of through the provincial government is that chances of it shuttering due to undue political pressure will be greatly reduced.