Transit service changes to start Monday

Two bus routes have been added, one has been retired and the frequency of many others is set to change Monday as Calgary Transit rolls out its spring service changes.

One new route will go into effect in the southeast communities of Chaparral Valley/ Walden and connect to Somerset. The other will serve Cranston, Auburn Bay, Seton, Mahogany and the South Health Campus.

Calgary Transit has also increased trips on eight other routes to account for increased ridership.

Service on 10 other routes, however, has been cut.

Transit planning manager Neil McKendrick said this year’s budget doesn’t leave room for new hours. “It’s a balancing act,” he said. “The trimming of service is mainly after 6 in the evening, or ... where we have a couple of things: low ridership and other services available that still provide service in the area,” McKendrick said.

The downtown shuttle, Route 31, has been retired, but users can hop on Routes 411, 412, 419 or the LRT.

In Bridgeland, Joseph Portincasa is worried how the cancellation of service after 8 p.m. on Route 9 will affect seniors in the community. “That’s the only route that comes into Bridgeland,” he said.

Portincasa, who has mobility issues, said walking to the train station would take half an hour, compared to the 15 minutes it takes to get to his bus stop.

“In this day and age when they want people to ride transit ... with these cuts they’re forcing people to drive,” he added.

McKendrick acknowledged the challenges of maintaining service across the city. He said it’s difficult to cut service without negatively affecting some commuters.

For a full list of service changes, visit calgarytransit.ca