Better Buses, Better Service – Transit route and capacity improvements coming this fall

Saskatoon Transit is rolling out service improvements this fall to improve reliability and address bus overcrowding beginning this September. Riders will benefit from more frequent service, school-focused trips and longer, articulated buses on high-traffic routes during peak times.

“These changes are a direct response to what we’ve heard from our riders,” says Mike Moellenbeck, Director of Saskatoon Transit. “Improvements are focused on areas where customers were facing the greatest challenges with overcrowding, reliability and alignment with schedules, which were the routes with significant growth of high school and post-secondary students.”

Riders can expect improvements starting in September, with more coming by October as new buses arrive:

• Phase 1 – August 31
  • Increased frequency on Route 4, 43, 44, 45 and 46, serving Evergreen, Willowgrove, Arbor Creek and 115th Street.
  • Increased frequency and reliability on Route 17 from Stonebridge to USask.
  • Up to 50% more capacity with articulating buses on Routes 10 and 43 that align with high school bell times.
  • New Route 340 for Holy Cross and Walter Murray high school students, replacing Route 338 with an expanded service to Rosewood.
  • Temporary service reductions will impact Routes 2 (pm only), 22, 55, 325 (pm only), 336 and 352 (pm only).
• Phase 2 – Once new buses are integrated into the fleet, by October.
  • Introduce an extra run for consistent 10-minute frequency on Route 17 from Stonebridge to USask.
  • New Route 339 for Holy Cross and Walter Murray high schools, replacing 338 with an expanded service to The Meadows.

Temporary service interruptions

Saskatoon Transit continues to invest in its fleet with regular orders of new buses and expects delivery of ten new 40ft buses in the coming weeks with ten more arriving shortly after. While we await the arrival of new buses, there are some short-term peak-time service reductions that will affect Routes 2 Meadowgreen (pm only), 22 Confederation and 55 Lakeridge/University. High school Routes 325 (am) and 336 will also be temporarily unavailable. When new buses are integrated into the fleet, these service adjustments will be restored.

Plan ahead for September!

Saskatoon Transit encourages riders to plan their commute and check the updated schedules and routes for September using trip planning apps, such as the Transit app or Google Maps Transit and pin favourite routes to get service alert notifications. Check out the new route maps and schedules at saskatoontransit.ca.