Edmonton is one of the fastest-growing cities in Canada, and Edmonton Transit Service (ETS) ridership has exceeded population growth. From January to September, the City of Edmonton said ETS ridership has grown by 14% compared to 2023, continuing one of the strongest post-COVID-19 pandemic ridership recoveries in Canada. “We’ve been investing in the transit network and are proud to deliver equitable, accessible, and convenient service that will continue to meet the needs of riders,” said ETS Branch Manager Carrie Hotton-MacDonald in a press release.“We’re working to make it easier for people to choose transit and are excited to see this positive response.”The City of Edmonton said ETS is on track to move about 60 million riders in 2024 — up from 53 million riders in 2023. Additionally, it pointed out the opening of the Valley Line Southeast LRT in November has contributed to this increase by providing another option for riders to reach destinations between Mill Woods and downtown.It said two million trips have been taken on the Valley Line Southeast LRT between November and August. ETS has 120 regular bus routes, 50 school routes, three LRT lines, and an On Demand Transit service. Edmonton is one of five cities in Canada with a high-frequency transit grid, which means it provides service in the core at least every 15 minutes most times of the day, seven days per week.In 2023, Edmonton city council spent money on growing transit service, adding 120,000 service hours to the network. While this spending helped ease the pressure on it, the City of Edmonton said the gap between current service levels and the Transit Service Standards continues to expand as the city’s population and neighbourhoods grow. In 2021, ETS launched the current bus network, and year-over-year monthly ridership has increased for 42 consecutive months. In September, the City of Edmonton confirmed monthly ridership exceeded six million people for the first time, as ETS welcomed back students and people returned to their fall routines. Overall, it said ridership has exceeded pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels by 12% since the beginning of the year.ETS analyzes transit performance to ensure it remains efficient and effective for riders. This includes making service adjustments five times per year based on transit data, rider feedback, seasonal changes, and ridership growth. The City of Edmonton encouraged riders to plan their trips at edmonton.ca/transit. “We’re thankful for our riders and the growth we’ve been experiencing,” said Hotton-MacDonald. The City of Edmonton said in June ETS ridership has grown by more than three million trips (130%) since spring 2021, continuing one of the strongest post-COVID-19 pandemic recoveries in Canada..Edmonton Transit Service ridership up 130% since 2021.When ETS launched its current bus network in April 2021, the City of Edmonton said year-over-year monthly ridership has increased for 37 consecutive months. For example, it said monthly ridership jumped from 2.3 million in April 2021 to 3.3 million in April 2022 to 4.3 million in April 2023 to 5.2 million in April 2024.“I am so pleased to see more riders returning or discovering transit as a viable option to connect them with the places and people they love,” said Hotton-MacDonald.
