Lethbridge Transit manages and operates the municipally-owned
public transport
Public transport (also known as public transportation, public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) is a system of transport for passengers by group travel systems available for use by the general public unlike private transport, typical ...
ation system in
Lethbridge
Lethbridge ( ) is a city in the province of Alberta, Canada. With a population of 101,482 in its 2019 Alberta municipal censuses, 2019 municipal census, Lethbridge became the fourth Alberta city to surpass 100,000 people. The nearby Canadian ...
,
Alberta
Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...
,
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
.
History
![Lethbridge Transit Logo (old)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/95/Lethbridge_Transit_Logo_%28old%29.svg)
Public transit in Lethbridge began in 1912 and consisted of a
streetcar
A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport are ...
system operated by the
Lethbridge Municipal Railway. The system consisted of three lines, all originating at the southwest corner of what is now
Galt Gardens. One line ran to north Lethbridge, one to the
exhibition grounds via 6 Avenue, and the third to
St. Michael's Hospital via 13 Street. Each car was operated by two men until 1917, when the number was reduced to a single operator on each. At the height of its operations, the streetcar system ran 10 cars over a total of 10 miles of track.
Given the cost of laying new tracks to accommodate city growth, the city began introducing
motor buses
A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a road vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van. It is most commonly used in public transport, but is also in use for c ...
in 1941. By 1947, the streetcar system had been abandoned, with the North Lethbridge line being the last to operate.
Operations
![Lethbridge Transit downtown](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/04/Lethbridge_Transit_downtown.jpg)
The public transportation system Lethbridge Transit consists of 42 buses (with an average age of 8 years) — including 8 Euro-styled
New Flyers put in operation in August 2006 — that cover most of the city on 13 routes. Traditionally, all bus routes in the city started and ended downtown. In the early 21st century, however, cross-town and shuttle routes were introduced. All routes use wheelchair-accessible buses.
In 2005, Lethbridge Transit had an annual ridership of 2,555,695 on over 25 buses. Expenses for the same year amounted to $6,023,794 with revenues at $2,243,222.
Recent projects
In 2006, Lethbridge Transit explored the possibility of a
universal bus pass system for post-secondary students in Lethbridge. While
University of Lethbridge
, mottoeng = ''Let there be light''
, type = Public
, established =
, academic_affiliations = Universities Canada
, endowment = $73 million (2019)
, chancellor = Charles Weasel ...
undergraduate students voted against the system, graduate students voted in favour. Lethbridge Transit and the Graduate Students Association negotiated a U-Pass system for master's and PhD students effective September 2008. A separate U-Pass system for undergraduate students was launched in 2018.
In June 2011, Lethbridge city council authorized the introduction of an electronic fare card to replace the previous fare system.
Electronic Fare Card
29 June 2011
In August 2021, Lethbridge implemented a revamp of routes and operations, called cityLINK. The revamp would allow citizens to request a bus on demand in areas with no service. The city has estimated that CityLink will be able to save $350,000 annually. The revamp increased on-time performance and increased daily ridership by 30%.
Routes
See also
* Public transport in Canada In the month of November 2015 ridership of Canadian large urban transit was 142.7 million passenger trips.
The following is a list of public transit authorities in Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and thre ...
References
External links
Lethbridge Transit homepage
Riders Guide
{{Public transit systems in Canada
Transport in Lethbridge
Bus transport in Alberta
Transit agencies in Alberta
Companies based in Lethbridge