Saturday transit service will soon switch to on-demand only following a St. Albert city council decision during last month’s budget deliberation.
On-demand service is already available in lieu of fixed-route service during weekday and Saturday evenings, as well as during Sundays and statutory holidays. Riders can book trips in advance through the city’s app, online, or over the phone.
The switch to on-demand service for Saturday will save the city $223,000 each year. In an email sent Friday, city-spokesperson Cory Sinclair said the change-over will happen once the city secures a service provider.
“It will be announced publicly with full details on when transit riders can anticipate this service transition and how they can book transit rides through the app, online, or a simple phone call,” Sinclair said in the email.
The city’s three commuter routes to Edmonton will not switch over to on-demand on Saturday, and neither will the A14, the principle north-south route that travels from south St. Albert Trail to Costco at the north end of the city.
During budget deliberation on Dec. 7, Coun. Sheena Hughes brought forward a motion to rescue the fixed-route service, which didn’t pass.
“I’ve heard complaints from people who are taking the on-demand right now that cannot make the commuter times,” Hughes said. “What assurances do we have for people that need to make connections that they’ll be able to make connections using on-demand?”
Will Steblyk, manager of planning and customer service with St. Albert Transit, said the software algorithms the city currently employs sometimes structure a trip with one too many dropoffs or pickups.
“We are going to be upgrading our system to a more robust on-demand service that we hope will be able to address all of that and provide those connections that we’re striving for,” Steblyk said, noting the update is expected for the end of February.
When asked by Coun. Wes Brodhead whether the city’s on-demand Sunday service has given administration the confidence that an expansion of on-demand for Saturday service is within reach, Steblyk said he is “very” confident.
“We’ve been piloting [on-demand service] for the past year-and-a-half now, and I believe that the public sees advantage to it,” Steblyk said, adding the service has reduced the number of transfers an individual might need for their trip.
'Good Samaritan' to fill in gaps
Hughes raised a concern that those without phones will now have more difficulty accessing Saturday transit service.
“If they don’t have a phone — because many people who are exclusively riding the bus don’t … how could they book a bus?” Hughes asked.
Steblyk said in those situations, the city is “hoping … they are with somebody who could help them” book their ride.
“We’re hoping there’ll be a Good Samaritan that can help them or a friend of theirs or a family member,” Steblyk said.
Hughes said she doesn’t see the reliance on “Good Samaritans” as a message the city should be putting out to people.
“I understand that [it would save] a lot of money, but this is also considered an essential service,” Hughes said.
In the future, Steblyk said the city will look at options for city facilities, such as Servus Place, to assist individuals with their bookings.
In an email sent Friday, city spokesperson Cory Sinclair said “not all passengers will be required to make bookings” as the future on-demand service provider will be able to accept walk-on transfers at transit stations.
“In these situations, they will be able to board the bus to their destination,” Sinclair said in the email.
During council, Hughes argued glitches should be worked through before the service is expanded. She noted ridership on a typical Saturday during a pre-pandemic year is around 1,000 rides per day, significantly more than the 200 rides seen on Sunday.
“People are depending on this service to be reliable … so that they can tell their employer ‘I will be there at 2,’ not ‘I didn’t get there ’til 4 because the bus system didn’t work for me,” Hughes said, adding that she is also concerned about a loss in ridership.
Brodhead thanked Hughes for raising the debate, and said he supports the idea of effective, efficient, and reliable service, but argued St. Albert’s community expects public transit to be “agile enough to embrace new forms of public transit that meet the needs of ridership.”
“I would applaud administration for taking a look at new technology that allows on-demand service to be provided at apparently significant savings,” Brodhead said. “We would be hard-pressed to justify going back to fixed-route based on the ridership on Saturdays when an alternative is available.”
Hughes’s motion to maintain fixed-route Saturday service failed 6-1, with Hughes alone in favour.
Saturday transit riders weigh in
Alyzza Canasa often takes the bus to go to work and run errands, and said she uses the city’s on-demand bus service frequently at the end of her afternoon shifts, which often wrap up around 8 or 9 p.m.
She said her experience of the service has been hit or miss.
“Sometimes it’s good, but it also has a bad side,” Canasa said. “If you’re the only one on the trip, you could easily go to the place you want to go, but if there are more people on the bus, it might take an extra 30 minutes to an hour before you would get the order.”
She said that overall, she prefers St. Albert’s transit service to taking the bus in Edmonton, and added that the app adds convenience as well.
“It’s easier than calling the driver,” Canasa said.
The switch to on-demand only service for Saturday isn’t exactly good news for Canasa, however.
“I don’t like it,” Canasa said, noting that Saturday is often the only day she and her sister have to run errands, which she said is already a time-consuming process.
Louise Ries couldn’t chat for long because her bus arrived, but said the switch to on-demand only Saturday could create problems for her because she doesn’t have a cellphone.
“I could phone for the bus from home,” Ries said, but indicated once she is out in the city, getting home would be more uncertain.
Sandra Gonzales typically uses the bus to run errands while her husband takes the car to work out of town. Gonzales said she recently learned how to use the transit app for on-demand service, but similar to Canasa, prefers the reliability of fixed-route service.
Having lived in St. Albert for the past year-and-a-half, Gonzales said she has had an overall positive experience using transit.
“I love the buses,” Gonzales said. “They’re so clean and comfortable, and the drivers are awesome — so polite.”
She said her one complaint is that she wishes fixed-route service ran on weekday evenings, but added she thinks the switch to on-demand service for all of Saturday will be “OK.”
“I understand that not many people use the bus,” Gonzales said. “It’s just my personal opinion.”
