Edmonton Transit Ridership Outpaces Population Growth

Ridership in Edmonton continues to grow, allowing the city to exceed pre-pandemic ridership levels.

October 8, 2024

One of Edmonton's electric buses charging from an overhead charging station. — Edmonton Transit Services include 120 regular bus routes in order to help maintain the city’s high frequency transit grid.
**Photo: ETS/Proterra**

2 min to read

Edmonton Transit Service (ETS) Ridership is exceeding the population growth of Edmonton, one of the fastest growing cities in Canada. From January to September 2024 ETS ridership has grown by 14%, continuing one of the strongest post-pandemic ridership recoveries in the country.

ETS is on track to move nearly 60 million riders in 2024.

Transit Services in Edmonton

ETS has 120 regular bus routes, 50 school routes, three LRT lines, and an on-demand transit service.

The opening of the 13-kilometre Valley Line Southeast LRT in November 2023 has provided another option for riders to reach destinations between Mill Woods and downtown. Nearly two million trips have been taken on Valley Line Southeast LRT.

Edmonton is one of five cities in Canada with a high-frequency transit grid providing transit in the core of the city every 15 minutes every day.

A Growing Transit System

In 2023 Edmonton City Council invested in growing transit service, adding 120,000 service hours to the transit network. While these investments help ease the pressure on transit service, the gap between current service levels and the Transit Service Standards continues to expand as the city’s population grows.

“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 Carrie Hotton-MacDonald, branch manager, Edmonton Transit Service. “We’re working to make it easier for people to choose transit, and are excited to see this positive response. We’re thankful for our riders and the growth we’ve been experiencing.”

ETS launched the current bus network in April 2021. Year-over-year, monthly ridership has increased for 42 consecutive months. In September 2024 monthly ridership exceeded six million for the first time, as ETS welcomed back students and riders returned to fall routines.

Overall, ridership has exceeded pre-pandemic levels by 12% since the beginning of the year.

Looking for Ways to Improve

ETS continually analyzes transit performance to ensure it remains efficient and effective for riders. This includes making service adjustments five times each year based on transit data, rider feedback, seasonal changes and ridership growth.

Topics:ridership Bus

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