Calgary Transit is phasing out its so-called express routes, citing a necessary trade-off between underperforming routes and providing wider bus service to Calgarians.

The question came up during Calgary’s transportation business unit participation in the 2026 budget deliberations on Friday, Nov. 28.

Ward 1 Coun. Kim Tyers focused on the line of questioning, asking about the phasing out of express bus routes, as Express Route 70 service is slated to cease at the end of 2025. She said that over the years, many Calgarians in her area have become dependent on the express routes as a method to commute in an efficient manner.

Further, she said that riders should get more than two weeks’ notice or be consulted before changes like this are made.

“We’ve had people riding this route, like, since the 90s,” she said.

“For me, I think it would be, like, if people have been riding this for that long, it would be important to actually consult them before you take it away.”

The closure has prompted the creation of an online petition, with more than 600 current electronic signatures.

“The city’s decision, based on claims of low ridership, overlooks the fact that for those of us who rely on this service daily, Bus 70 is far more than a statistic—it is a crucial lifeline that connects two communities to the downtown core and allows us to commute without the need for a car,” reads the petition, posted by Hesamoddin Ghadirijavan.

“If Bus 70 is discontinued, many residents will face significant hardships. The proposed alternative services simply do not offer the same convenience or coverage and would increase commute time to two hours each way—from community to downtown and back.”

According to Calgary Transit, eight express routes still remain in the city. Express routes serve various communities in a cluster of stops before travelling without stops for longer distances, usually to the downtown area.

Express route 70 (Valley Ridge Express) serves the northwest communities of Valley Ridge and Crestmont before zipping down to Bow Trail for 10 stops covering the communities of Wildwood, Westgate and Spruce Cliff, as it enters the downtown.

Not about punishing some commuters, GM says

Calgary Transit director Sharon Fleming said that as a part of the recently updated Route Ahead plan, they revisit the type of service that’s provided. She said that express routes, in particular, are a legacy of when Calgary was a smaller city.

“We don’t provide that level of service consistently across the city, there are only six [sic] remaining routes, and as we transition to provide service more balanced across our city, we are slowly beginning to cancel those routes,” Fleming said.

“The routes have some of the lowest ridership in our cities and favour one neighbourhood over another. So, our plan is to eventually remove the express routes throughout the city.”

Director Fleming said that as transit service around the city is rebalanced, they’re looking for opportunities to provide better service to underserved areas.

“Express routes in particular, often comingle with base service levels on other routes, so those communities have other options in order to get where they need to go,” she said.

Coun. Tyers asked why Calgary Transit appears to be punishing people living in the suburbs.

“Maybe I’ll jump in here. I wouldn’t categorize some of the adjustments to frequencies and bus routes as us desiring to punish passengers,” said Operational Services GM Doug Morgan.

“It’s an incredible balance that the team is seeking to strike. We have lots of folks that, on overloads, get left behind. We have communities that don’t have off-peak service. So, there are lots of Calgarians impacted as we reallocate our resources.”

According to average ridership numbers provided by Calgary Transit, Express Route 70 sees 100 boardings per day. In contrast, routes like Calgary’s 301 / Max Green have more than 10,000 passengers per day.

Calgary Transit said it’s in preliminary work to begin the closure of express routes across the city.

“Overall, we’re focusing on phasing out the individual express routes through 2026 while enhancing the overall bus service in those areas, so the existing bus routes become more efficient, while also providing the same service levels for those communities,” read a statement from Calgary Transit.

Routes 151, 131, 117 are expected to be phased out in 2027, Calgary Transit said.