Transit Service Changes

To protect the health of transit employees and customers, ETS made several adjustments to its routes and schedules to ensure physical distancing. Buses and LRT are running on their Saturday schedules. ETS has made the following adjustments to help essential workers and other customers making essential trips:

Saturday Schedule Adjustments

• Adding more buses, where possible, during the AM and PM peak times on busy routes 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 15, 17, 112 and 136
• Buses were added on 10 routes that have weekday service but do not have service on Saturdays on routes 16 Express, 80, 83, 84, 92, 95, 122, 137, 182 and 331

 Extra peak service schedule - Information about Enhanced Saturday service on weekdays (excludes statutory holidays).

When possible, buses will also be put on standby, for quick response to overcrowding or if there is unanticipated demand at various locations throughout the city. This gives ETS more flexibility and more opportunity to address issues as they arise.

ETS replaced the 30’ buses on community routes with 40’ buses with shields, when possible. Some minor route adjustments were made to allow larger buses to serve some community routes.

Community Route Adjustments

• Route 302 detouring away from Henwood Treatment Centre
• Route 303 detouring away from private property, resulting in stop closures at Northgate Centre, Shepherd’s Care Centre, Mary A Finlay Manor, Salvation Army Grace Manor, Casa Romana and Safeway Palisades Square/White Oaks Square
• Route 305
  Will no longer travel onto Westmount Centre property. Instead, the route will travel east on 114 Avenue then south on Groat Road. Also, the route will no longer travel onto Jasper Gates Square property. Please use Bus Stop 5495 (Stony Plain Road eastbound and 150 Street) or Bus Stop 5437 (149 Street Northbound and 100 Avenue) to access Jasper Gates Square. 
• Route 306 detouring to follow the path of Route 83 through Maple Ridge 
• Route 307 detouring from Gateway Manor, 104 Avenue and 65 Street (Fulton Place) and 94 Avenue and 82 Street (Holyrood).
• Route 312 maintains current routing, but no longer goes into parking lots of Millennium Pavilion Seniors Lodge, St Michael's Long Term Care, and Londonderry Mall. Londonderry Village will need to use bus stop 7650 on 74 Street northbound at 138 Avenue
• Route 322
  Will no longer travel onto Bonnie Doon Mall property. Instead customers can use existing bus stops along 83 Street. In addition, the existing bus stop at Montgomery Place will be closed and residents will need to use Bus Stop 2585 on 95 Avenue and Donnell Road.
• Route 340 
  Will no longer travel directly onto Millwoods Recreation Centre property. The nearest bus stops are now along 28 Avenue. For travel to or from South East Edmonton Seniors Association, Extendicare Holyrood or Golden Home, residents can use the bus stops on 85 Street between 93 Avenue and 98 Avenue. 

Routes 126, 317, 318, 319 and 325 do not require a detour to operate with a larger bus. 

Fares for bus, LRT, or DATS are suspended until further notice. Customers who do not need to use the ramp or need the bus to kneel are is asked to use the rear door.

Route 747 Suspended for all Travellers and Shoppers

 Route 747 is suspended for use by all travellers and shoppers. However, Route 747 will remain in service as a charter service for regional, airport, outlet mall, and area employees only.

Reducing service now ensures ETS has the healthy staff needed to consistently and reliably run service across the city in the uncertain weeks ahead so most Edmontonians who need transit still have access to it. It also enables efficient use of resources given the significantly reduced demand due to school, post secondary closures and customers working from home.

The last LRT service departure is 10pm. Late Night Owl bus service ends after midnight. All other routes are following their regular Saturday schedule. These adjustments better align with the travel needs of those customers making essential trips, while helping to further address safety, security, public health and cleanliness challenges.

Last Nightly LRT Departures

• Century Park - last train departing Northbound at 10:10pm, arriving at Clareview at 10:45pm
• Clareview - last train departing Southbound at 10:10pm, arriving at Century Park at 10:45pm
• NAIT - last train departing Southbound at 10:03pm, arriving at Health Sciences at 10:23pm

Last Nightly Departures for Late Night Owl Service

• Route 1 - Leaves West Edmonton Mall Transit Centre at 12:13am; leaves Capilano Transit Centre at 12:30am
• Route 4 - Leaves Lewis Farms Transit Centre at 12:17am; leaves Capilano Transit Centre at 12:21am
• Route 8 - Leaves Abbottsfield Transit Centre at 12:04am; leaves Mill Woods Transit Centre at 11:56pm
• Route 9 - Leaves Southgate Transit Centre at 12:30am; leaves Eaux Claires Transit Centre at 12:22am
• Route 512 - Cancelled

The indoor waiting areas at some LRT Stations (Kingsway, NAIT, MacEwan) and transit centres (Capilano, Castle Downs, Government Centre, Jasper Place, the stop outside the Telus building on Jasper Avenue and 100 Street) are now closed at 10pm.

The indoor waiting areas at the following Transit Centres (Meadows, Leger, Belvedere, Kingsway, Claireview East, Claireview West, Lewis Farms, South Campus, Westmount, Jasper Place, Millgate, Eaux Claire, Northgate, Southgate, West Edmonton Mall, Century Park, Millwoods) are closed at midnight. Service is still available.

Customers can view scheduled and real-time trip information in the ETS trip planning tools and third-party tools. They reflect the enhanced Saturday service on weekdays and regular Saturday service on weekends. 

For customers who do not have access to online trip planning tools, Saturday schedules are in route brochures on buses or online. For enhanced Saturday service offered on weekdays during morning and afternoon peak periods, see the frequency table.  

All buses and LRT cars are being thoroughly cleaned and disinfected when they are taken out of service every day.

Additional resources are being used, where possible, to enhance the cleaning of our vehicles and facilities.

Customers are reminded to:

• Follow the protocols of Alberta Health Services
• Use discretion - please only use public transit if feeling well
• Continue to practice social distancing, washing hands, covering cough, etc

Where possible, the long articulated (bendy) buses will be used to promote physical distancing. We have replaced all 30' community buses with 40' buses, including on regional routes.

By reducing service, we are also able to rotate buses and train cars regularly and clean them more often when we take them out of service. This will help keep people safe and healthy.

For enhanced passenger safety on the LRT, the doors on our newer LRT cars now open automatically at all stations, except the end-of-line stations (NAIT, Clareview, and Century Park due to longer hold times). Please note: our older LRT cars (about 1/3rd of our fleet) do not have the capability to automatically open all doors.

Any bus or train coming out of service is being cleaned before it is put back into service. 

As part of standard cleaning practices, ETS regularly disinfects and cleans buses and trains to help maintain a safe environment for staff and customers. This involves disinfecting commonly-touched surfaces. When possible, we bring in additional resources to enhance our transit cleaning activities in both intensity and frequency.

We adjusted our service to ensure we have the healthy staff needed to consistently and reliably run service across the city in the uncertain weeks ahead so most Edmontonians who need transit will still have access to it. 

We are monitoring demand for transit very closely as well as heeding the updates from Alberta Health Services to determine an appropriate level of service. 

Customers are encouraged to travel during off-peak hours. They should keep a safe physical distance from other passengers and they should stay home if they have any cold or flu symptoms.

We know the changes we’ve introduced may be a challenge for some customers. Where possible, services is extended to minimize disruption. 

For those without any public transit service, there are several private transportation options still available throughout the city.

Please use our online form for inquiries or call 780-496-1622 to confirm if your article has been found. Also, you will need to arrange an appointment time with the Lost and Found staff for pick up at the Edmonton Tower.

New Busker Permits cannot be issued at this time. Currently issued permits are extended until new permits can be issued. 

Mail application forms to: 
Leisure Access & Ride Transit Program
PO Box  2359
Edmonton AB  T5J 2R7
 

Starting June 15, 2020, ETS will resume fare collection on buses, LRT and DATS. Customers should board the bus through the front door starting June 15.

Visit the Fares page for more information.