This fall North Calgary residents could see familiar bus loops 72 and 73 disappear, and modifications made to route 20 and many other routes. The changes are part of the city’s sweeping 2018 Transit Service Review.
The city’s review would make significant changes to transit service this year, as 16 existing bus routes will be deleted, another 16 modified, and 13 new routes introduced, including three new Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) routes.
The service review was prompted by the introduction of four new BRT’s, three of which begin service this year: 17 Avenue SE, the South Crosstown, and the North Crosstown. The North Crosstown BRT will run from Brentwood Station in the Northwest to the Children’s and Foothills Hospitals, follow 16 Avenue to the northeast, and terminate at Saddletowne Station.
Construction continues in 2018 on the fourth new BRT route, the much publicized Southwest BRT.
The North Crosstown and South Crosstown BRT’s will be Calgary’s first BRT’s that do not go downtown, signalling a focus on improving cross-city connectivity.
The city’s objectives include linking service to the new BRT’s, providing more direct routes, reducing travel times and avoiding service duplication. The city has been gathering input and says it will report back to the public on June 30.
