Saskatoon Transit (formerly Saskatoon Municipal Railway) is the

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 ...

arm of the City of Saskatoon,

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada, western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on t ...

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 ...

. It operates a fleet of

diesel Diesel may refer to: * Diesel engine, an internal combustion engine where ignition is caused by compression * Diesel fuel, a liquid fuel used in diesel engines * Diesel locomotive, a railway locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engin ...

bus 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 cha ...

es. A total of 23 bus routes serve every area of the city, carrying approximately 11 million passengers in 2008.Saskatoon Transit Unveils New Smart Card System, Dec 2009
Saskatoon Transit is a member of the

Canadian Urban Transit Association The Canadian Urban Transit Association (CUTA) is a national association for urban mobility and both the public and private transit industries in Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories exten ...

. The major

bus terminal A bus station or a bus interchange is a structure where city or intercity buses stop to pick up and drop off passengers. While the term bus depot can also be used to refer to a bus station, it generally refers to a bus garage. A bus station is l ...

is located

Downtown ''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in North America by English speakers to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business distric ...

History

Saskatoon Municipal Railway

Saskatoon Transit was initially known as the Saskatoon Municipal Railway (SMR). In 1912, a franchise was granted to a man named H. M. Evans to develop a

street railway 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 ...

. No work on this was done and the city revoked Evans' franchise on May 15. Following this, the city consulted the Boston, Massachusetts transit planning firm of Stone and Webster, which advised in a report that the future street railway should be municipally operated. The city government began work and by the end of the year, of track had been laid.

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 ...

service began on January 1, 1913, using a roster of twelve cars built by the

St. Louis Car Company The St. Louis Car Company was a major United States manufacturer of railroad passenger cars, streetcars, interurbans, trolleybuses and locomotives that existed from 1887 to 1974, based in St. Louis, Missouri. History The St. Louis Car Company ...

. Despite near-blizzard conditions that day, the service launch was a success, with some 5200 passengers riding the cars. Over 3 million people rode the system in its first year.City of Saskatoon Archives.
Significant Dates: A Saskatoon Chronology
, 1999–2006. Lines and routes followed a radial pattern outward from a central loop which passed by both the

Canadian National Railway The Canadian National Railway Company (french: Compagnie des chemins de fer nationaux du Canada) is a Canadian Class I freight railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, which serves Canada and the Midwestern and Southern United States. CN i ...

and

Canadian Pacific Railway stations Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

. The

terminus Terminus may refer to: * Bus terminus, a bus station serving as an end destination * Terminal train station or terminus, a railway station serving as an end destination Geography *Terminus, the unofficial original name of Atlanta, Georgia, United ...

of each line had a

turning loop A balloon loop, turning loop, or reversing loop ( North American Terminology) allows a rail vehicle or train to reverse direction without having to shunt or stop. Balloon loops can be useful for passenger trains and unit freight trains. Bal ...

allowing cars to return. In its early years, the system changed fairly little. Before the end of the first year, the street railway negotiated a contract with the Amalgamated Association of Street and Electrical Railway Employees of America, Division Number 615. Unlike in cities like

Hamilton, Ontario Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Hamilton has a population of 569,353, and its census metropolitan area, which includes Burlington and Grimsby, has a population of 785,184. The city is approximately southwest of T ...

Saint John, New Brunswick Saint John is a seaport city of the Atlantic Ocean located on the Bay of Fundy in the province of New Brunswick, Canada. Saint John is the oldest incorporated city in Canada, established by royal charter on May 18, 1785, during the reign of Ki ...

(site of the 1914 Saint John street railway strike), the street railway did not have a notably turbulent labour history, with only a brief interruption in streetcar service during a coordinated

sympathy strike Solidarity action (also known as secondary action, a secondary boycott, a solidarity strike, or a sympathy strike) is industrial action by a trade union in support of a strike initiated by workers in a separate corporation, but often the same en ...

organized by the Saskatoon Trades and Labour Council in support of the Winnipeg General Strike of 1919. The Trades and Labour Council also successfully protested the city council's attempt to raise streetcar fares to five cents in May 1914. The initial routes had a connection to the then-town of Sutherland, via

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

Avenue and 8th Street; the Mayfair–University line was shorter, running only from 33rd Street and Avenue F to 12th Street and Lansdowne Avenue via the 19th Street Bridge. As well the Avenue H and 7th Avenue lines ran as separate routes, and 7th Avenue ended at Princess Street. Initially Avenue H being ran only a single car, with two on the 2nd Avenue–7th Avenue line and four each on the longer two lines. The municipal railway's streetcar roster changed considerably throughout its time operating. Streetcars were initially unheated, but in 1914 and 1915, they received coal and electric heaters. Six additional streetcars were added to the roster between 1914 and 1917. These consisted of three second-hand single-truck cars called "Carolinas", as well as three large double-truck cars built by either the

Preston Car Company The Preston Car Company was a Canadian manufacturer of tram, streetcars and other railway equipment, founded in 1908. The company was located in the town of Preston, Ontario (now part of the city of Cambridge, Ontario, Cambridge). Preston sold s ...

or the

Ottawa Car Company The Ottawa Car Company was a builder of streetcars for the Canadian market and was founded in Ottawa, Ontario, in 1891 Middleton, William D. (1967). ''The Time of the Trolley'', p. 423. Milwaukee: Kalmbach Publishing. . as an outgrowth of the car ...

. The double-truck cars, however, proved too heavy for use over the

19th Street Bridge 19th Street Bridge is a two-span through Pratt truss road bridge in Denver, Colorado, over the South Platte River, now used for pedestrians. It was built in 1888 to replace a wooden structure and carried automobile traffic until 1986. The bridge ...

. Rail historian Anthony Clegg stated in a 1964 article in ''Canadian Rail'' that in 1919, the three cars were exchanged with the

Calgary Municipal Railway The Calgary municipal railway operated a system of streetcar routes in Calgary, Alberta, from 1909, until 1950. From 1909 to 1910 the system was named the ''"Calgary Electric Railway"''. In 1909, and early 1910, the system was known as ...

for five lighter cars; however, John Meikle argued in a supplemental to a later issue of ''Canadian Rail'' that the 1919 exchange was of six double-ended Preston-built cars for six Ottawa-built ones from Calgary, which were single-ended. 1920–21 was marked with debate over one-man versus two-man crews, with the railway ultimately opting for one-man crews in 1921. It experienced one of its most notable accidents not long afterward, in 1922, when a streetcar derailed near the 19th Street Bridge, coming to rest at the waterfront. No one was seriously injured. A major

rolling stock The term rolling stock in the rail transport industry refers to railway vehicles, including both powered and unpowered vehicles: for example, locomotives, freight and passenger cars (or coaches), and non-revenue cars. Passenger vehicles can b ...

renewal occurred between 1927 and 1930, when some older streetcars were retired and replaced with thirteen new double-truck cars built by

National Steel Car National Steel Car is the largest manufacturer of railway rolling stock in Canada, based in Hamilton, Ontario. The company was founded in 1912, and has been a top 3 rolling stock manufacturer in Canada for its lifetime. National Steel Car is a subs ...

of Hamilton and the Ottawa Car Company. It was during this period that bus services first began, as rented buses were used to supplement the streetcars. Damaged portion of Saskatoon's 'Traffic Bridge', after a streetcar derailed on March 3, 1922

Damaged portion of Saskatoon's 'Traffic Bridge', after a streetcar derailed on March 3, 1922

The first bus-only route began operating in 1931. It ran from Westmount to the armouries at 19th Street and 3rd Avenue.

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

-era infrastructure improvements led to a

grade separation In civil engineering (more specifically highway engineering), grade separation is a method of aligning a junction of two or more surface transport axes at different heights (grades) so that they will not disrupt the traffic flow on other tran ...

along 19th Street, benefitting 7th Avenue and Avenue H service; the 19th Street Subway opened on July 1, 1931. On July 21, 1933, streetcars shifted to the newly-built Broadway Bridge, another Great Depression-era

make-work A make-work job is a job that has less immediate financial or little benefit at all to the economy than the job costs to support. It may also have no benefit. Make-work jobs are similar to workfare, but are publicly offered on the job market and h ...

project. The city's final significant investment in the streetcar system was in 1941, when five additional cars were purchased second-hand after being used on the London Street Railway in

London, Ontario London (pronounced ) is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada, along the Quebec City–Windsor Corridor. The city had a population of 422,324 according to the 2021 Canadian census. London is at the confluence of the Thames River, approximate ...

, which had switched to diesel bus operations in 1940. This proved a warning sign for the Saskatoon system, which by this point had contracted to three streetcar routes which were fed by secondary bus routes connecting them to outlying suburban areas. By 1945 Saskatoon Municipal Railway owned 41 passenger cars. SRM-StreetCar

On December 12th, 1946, a report was presented which proposed the total conversion of the system to exclusively use motorized buses and

trolleybuses A trolleybus (also known as trolley bus, trolley coach, trackless trolley, trackless tramin the 1910s and 1920sJoyce, J.; King, J. S.; and Newman, A. G. (1986). ''British Trolleybus Systems'', pp. 9, 12. London: Ian Allan Publishing. .or troll ...

. A change in management in 1947 cemented the proposal. Conversion was gradual and done route-by-route. The 7th Avenue–Avenue H route was first converted to motor bus on October 1, 1947, before being converted to trolleybus service a year later, on November 28, 1948. Trolleybuses were introduced on the Pleasant Hill section of the Pleasant Hill–Exhibition route in September 1949. This came not long after an official name change to the Saskatoon Transit System, a name the municipal system would continue to use for decades afterward; this occurred on August 15, 1949. Use of the city's

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central ele ...

on transit vehicles ended on July 14, 1950, when it was replaced with the plain letters "STS". Even so, streetcar operations continued for over a year, with trolleybuses and streetcars being used interchangeably along electrified parts of the system. The last recorded streetcar run was on November 10, 1951, after which most of the streetcars were scrapped. Three of the streetcars were preserved; one was returned to the United States, where it had originally operated, and two were retained for display at the

Saskatchewan Railway Museum The Saskatchewan Railway Museum is a railway museum located west of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan at the intersection of the Pike Lake Highway (Hwy 60) and the Canadian National Railway tracks (on "Hawker" siding). It is operated by the Saskatchewan R ...

Saskatoon Transit System

Trolleybus service was itself discontinued in 1974. The central transfer point for most bus routes has always been the block of 23rd Street between 2nd and 3rd Avenues and the neighbouring corners on 2nd and 3rd Avenues. In 1984, this block was permanently closed to regular traffic and a "Transit Terminal" constructed, consisting of widened sidewalks, heated shelters, and angled curbs to provide three "bays" on each side of the block. The 23rd Street Transit Terminal was opened on November 2, 1984. This terminal area is perceived by many as unsafe, and most of the businesses along this block have relocated; however, Saskatoon Transit has made some recent improvements, including a constant security guard presence and a Customer Service Centre where tickets, passes and schedules may be obtained. The 2005 Strategic Plan Study recommended that major improvements be carried out to the downtown terminal, but by 2020, no changes had been made. Although the official name is now Saskatoon Transit Services (as of 1998), it is generally known simply as ''Saskatoon Transit'', which is what appears on their Web page, logo, and all their brochures. The servicing garage was located in the Caswell Hill neighbourhood, on the north side of 24th Street between Avenues C and D; having expanded to a second facility across 24th Street in 1948. In January 2017, transit services were moved to the city's new Civic Operations Centre on Valley Road.

2005 Strategic Plan Study

Saskatoon transit customer service 23d St

A comprehensive studyIBI Group
Saskatoon Transit Strategic Plan Study
, Saskatoon Transit, October 2005. of Saskatoon Transit's service was undertaken in 2005, outlining many deficiencies and making many recommendations. Transit ridership had fallen from 12.4 million passengers in 1987 to 7.2 million passengers in 2005, while the city's population increased from 182,000 to 214,000. The conclusions of the study were summarised in a Short Term Plan and a Long Term Plan. Most of the recommendations of the Short Term Plan have been implemented, and the Long Term Plan is being carried out, subject of course to funding and other considerations. The main recommendations of the Short Term Plan were to re-orient the current regular service network to better serve the

University of Saskatchewan A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

and other key destinations, to introduce higher-order "DART" service on four corridors interlined into two routes, and to construct a new bus terminal at

Market Mall CF Market Mall is one of the largest malls (by area) in Calgary, Alberta, Canada (900,490 square feet/83,658.3 m²). It is located in Varsity, a suburban neighbourhood in the city's northwest quadrant on Shaganappi Trail. The mall is jointly owne ...

, as well as to make major improvements to the terminals downtown and at the University. The routes in place prior to 2006 had not been substantially modified since the 1970s, and some since the 1950s, with the result that many neighbourhoods, particularly the newer suburbs, had poor service. Some areas such as

Montgomery Place Montgomery Place, now Bard College: The Montgomery Place Campus, near Barrytown, New York, United States, is an early 19th-century estate that has been designated a National Historic Landmark. It is also a contributing property to the Hudson R ...

and Briarwood had no bus service at all on weekends. Many outlying neighbourhoods (e.g., Dundonald, Silverspring, Briarwood) had "stub routes" that deposited riders at a suburban mall transfer point, necessitating a transfer, and often two or three, to get anywhere in the city. Post-secondary institutions were under-served relative to the number of students using the buses; SIAST Kelsey Campus had only one major route serving it, so that trips to SIAST from most places in Saskatoon involved a transfer onto an overcrowded bus. Due to extreme congestion at the

, several routes bypassed the campus altogether, forcing students to cross College Drive on foot. Service to the airport was nonexistent, and service to industrial areas was extremely poor. Demand in these areas was also extremely low, at least in part due to the poor service. The Market Mall terminal has been built, and a temporary terminal with car traffic prohibited has been built at the University, pending a longer-term solution. Work has yet to begin on improving or relocating the downtown terminal. The Long Term Plan is a 10-year plan that focuses on the infrastructure needed to maintain the improvements to the system implemented in the Short Term Plan and expansion needed to keep up with the expected increases in ridership that the improvements will generate. Issues include staffing, fleet replacement, refurbishing older buses, maintenance, new technologies such as emissions reduction and "smart" fare collection. Critical items include: * Rejuvenating the fleet. The industry standard is to replace buses on an 18-year cycle; by this standard, Saskatoon Transit's fleet is quite old. The plan recommends replacing 6 buses a year through 2010, and 7 buses a year for the remaining years of the plan, as well as expanding the fleet by 12 buses. * New transit garage. The current transit garage is too small for the fleet and surrounded by residential properties that make it undesirable if not impossible to expand the facility. A satellite facility or entirely new facility in a different location, probably an industrial park, is recommended within the next 5 years. * More bus shelters. The plan recommends a target number of 215 bus shelters (30% of stops), or 22 per year over the course of the plan, up from 3 or 4 per year that are currently installed. * Fare technology. A review of fare collection options, and in particular smart card technology, should be undertaken within a year. * Transit-oriented development. Work with urban planners to design neighbourhoods that work with public transit and discourage use of private vehicles. * Signal priority and queue-jump lanes. Allow buses to avoid congestion by "turning the lights green" for them, and providing bus-only lanes where needed, for instance at the approaches to University Bridge. As of 2022, there are no priority signals, queue-jumps, nor transit-oriented-development of a notable scale to have materialized within the city.

2015 Lockout

After failing to arrive at a mutual agreement upon a new contract (which bus drivers have not had since 2012), the City of Saskatoon locked out the bus drivers while negotiations continued.

Fares

Saskatoon Transit Nova Bus LFS Articulated

Fares may be paid by the Go-Pass smart card, or cash (coins only effective February 2010). The adult cash fare is currently $3.00 (as of Feb 2016), which includes unlimited transfers for 90 minutes from time of payment. Primary and secondary school students pay reduced fares. Seniors are eligible for discounted passes lasting 3 months to a year. Riders on social assistance are also eligible for discounted monthly passes.

Post-secondary students

undergraduate students pay a mandatory U-PASS fee (currently $69.50 per term) for a universal transit pass, in the form of a validation sticker on their student card. Students living in on-campus residences and others with special circumstances may apply for an exemption. Other post-secondary students may purchase a 4-month semester pass at a slightly reduced price compared to the adult monthly pass.

Go-Pass

Effective February 2010, Saskatoon Transit has upgraded its fare system to use a

smart card A smart card, chip card, or integrated circuit card (ICC or IC card) is a physical electronic authentication device, used to control access to a resource. It is typically a plastic credit card-sized card with an embedded integrated circuit (IC) c ...

system called Go-Pass. The card has replaced tickets, day passes and monthly passes, respectively with a refillable fare card and unlimited-fare cards that expire after a day or month. The system cost Saskatoon Transit $2.9 million. The system's roll-out date was delayed to February 2010 in order to avoid problems with the new system during the

2010 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships The 2010 World Junior Hockey Championships (''2010 WJHC''), was the 34th edition of Ice Hockey World Junior Championship. The tournament was hosted by Saskatoon and Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, from December 26, 2009, to January 5, 2010. Saskat ...

. Smart cards have been adopted to limit

fraud In law, fraud is intentional deception to secure unfair or unlawful gain, or to deprive a victim of a legal right. Fraud can violate civil law (e.g., a fraud victim may sue the fraud perpetrator to avoid the fraud or recover monetary compens ...

—such as

forged Forging is a manufacturing process involving the shaping of metal using localized compressive forces. The blows are delivered with a hammer (often a power hammer) or a die. Forging is often classified according to the temperature at which it ...

monthly passes and short-changed fares—and to reduce the potential for conflict between driver and passenger. Rather than showing the card to the driver, the card is swiped across the reader and may remain inside a wallet. Transfers are

barcode A barcode or bar code is a method of representing data in a visual, machine-readable form. Initially, barcodes represented data by varying the widths, spacings and sizes of parallel lines. These barcodes, now commonly referred to as linear or o ...

d and scanned when a passenger boards. The new fare boxes do not accept bills, but

coin A coin is a small, flat (usually depending on the country or value), round piece of metal or plastic used primarily as a medium of exchange or legal tender. They are standardized in weight, and produced in large quantities at a mint in order t ...

s are accepted and the values displayed to both rider and driver.

Routes

Route names

The names next to each route number are displayed on the front of each bus. * 101 University Direct * 102 University Direct * 1

Exhibition An exhibition, in the most general sense, is an organized presentation and display of a selection of items. In practice, exhibitions usually occur within a cultural or educational setting such as a museum, art gallery, park, library, exhibition ...

–

City Centre A city centre is the commercial, cultural and often the historical, political, and geographic heart of a city. The term "city centre" is primarily used in British English, and closely equivalent terms exist in other languages, such as "" in Fren ...

* 2/10 Meadowgreen –

* 3 Hudson Bay Park –

* 4/43

–

Evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has foliage that remains green and functional through more than one growing season. This also pertains to plants that retain their foliage only in warm climates, and contrasts with deciduous plants, which ...

* 4/44

- Willowgrove * 4/45

Arbor Creek Arbor(s) or Arbour(s) may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Arbor'' (installation), a 2013 public artwork in Indianapolis, Indiana, US * Arbor, a counterweight-carrying device found in theater fly systems * ''The Arbor'', a 1980 play by Andr ...

* 5

McCormack McCormack is a family name (surname) that originated in Ireland and Scotland. Spelling variations: Cormack, MacCormack, MacCormac, McCormac, Cormac, Cormach. Architecture * Sir Richard MacCormac, (born 1938), British architect, the founder of ...

–

* 6

* 7 Dundonald –

* 8/81

Centre Mall The Centre on Barton is an outdoor shopping centre in the Lower City of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The centre is located on Barton Street East bounded by Ottawa Street North in the western-end and Kenilworth Avenue North on the eastern-end. I ...

–

University A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

* 8/82

* 8/83 Stonebridge -

* 8/84

- Briarwood * 8/86

Rosewood Rosewood refers to any of a number of richly hued timbers, often brownish with darker veining, but found in many different hues. True rosewoods All genuine rosewoods belong to the genus ''Dalbergia''. The pre-eminent rosewood appreciated in ...

* 82 U of S * 9 Riversdale –

* 11

Airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial air transport. Airports usually consists of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surface ...

* 12 River Heights –

* 13 Lawson Heights –

* 13 U of S * 14 North Industrial * 15 Civic Operations Centre * 16 Stonebridge -

* 17 U of S * 18 College Park –

* 19

–

* 20 South Industrial –

* 21

* 22

Confederation A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a union of sovereign groups or states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...

* 25

SaskTel Centre SaskTel Centre (formerly Credit Union Centre, and originally Saskatchewan Place; informally also known as ''Sask Place'') is an arena located in the Agriplace Industrial Park, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. With 15,195 permanent stadium seats ...

* 26 Forest Grove -

* 26 U of S * 27 Silverspring -

* 30 Lawson Heights -

* 35 Silverwood Heights -

* 50 Lakeview -

* 53/82 U of S * 55 Lakeridge -

* 60

–

* 61 Blairmore -

* 62 Montgomery -

* 63 Hampton Village -

* 64

Kensington Kensington is a district in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in the West End of London, West of Central London. The district's commercial heart is Kensington High Street, running on an east–west axis. The north-east is taken up b ...

After waiting in queue for months, the city of Saskatoon will partner with

Google Transit Google Maps is a web mapping platform and consumer application offered by Google. It offers satellite imagery, aerial photography, street maps, 360° interactive panoramic views of streets ( Street View), real-time traffic conditions, and rou ...

to provide an online mapping website. This interface will take the routes and city schedules currently available and google maps will then calculate for the website viewer the optimal connection for transport between two addresses and the time to be at the designated bus stop for bus service.

DART (Direct Access Rapid Transit)

DART was Saskatoon Transit's pseudo-

bus rapid transit Bus rapid transit (BRT), also called a busway or transitway, is a bus-based public transport system designed to have much more capacity, reliability and other quality features than a conventional bus system. Typically, a BRT system includes ...

service. Unveiled on July 2, 2006, the four DART routes used to interline in the central sections to form two corridors with extremely frequent service. Along this portion of their routes, bus stops were widely spaced to increase speed, and there were "express" sections on each route with no stops for over a kilometre. The interlined routes 50/60 ran from

Confederation Mall Confederation Mall is a 329,128 sq. ft. shopping mall located at 22nd Street and Circle Drive in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. The mall was originally named Confederation Park Plaza when it opened in mid-1973, at which time its anchor tenants we ...

to The Centre via downtown and the

, and routes 70/80 ran from

The Mall at Lawson Heights Lawson Heights Mall is a shopping centre located at the junction of Warman Road and Primrose Drive in north Saskatoon, Saskatchewan in the Lawson Heights Suburban Centre neighbourhood. It is currently anchored by Canada Safeway and London Drugs, ...

to the University Heights Suburban Centre via

SIAST Saskatchewan Polytechnic (formerly the Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology or SIAST) is Saskatchewan's primary public institution for post-secondary technical education and skills training, recognized nationally and internati ...

Kelsey Campus, downtown and the University. The routes each continued past these points, each serving a residential loop at either end (a total of 8 loops).

Low floor Accessibility is the design of products, devices, services, vehicles, or environments so as to be usable by people with disabilities. The concept of accessible design and practice of accessible development ensures both "direct access" (i. ...

buses were used on the DART routes. All buses procured for service were outfitted with bicycle racks on the front and most were air conditioned. As of the 2018 transit route reorganization, the DART service was phased out in favour of interlining several less-frequent routes to provide more regular service (i.e. routes 4/43, 44, and 45; and 8/81, 82, 83, 84, and 86).

Regular and commuter routes

There are 46 bus routes serving Saskatoon, 32 of which are full service. As well as full service routes there are also peak only routes. Some only operate in one direction at a time, either towards the downtown or the University in the morning, or towards their respective terminals in the afternoon. Others run both directions, but hourly during the peak hours only.

Combined routes

Some buses change their route number at their terminals, which is also known as a "stay-in-seat transfer" because the passengers do not have to leave the bus when it changes to the different route. The list of these "transfers" is as follows: * 1 Exhibition becomes 7 Dundonald at Downtown Terminal * 9 Riversdale becomes 3 Hudson Bay Park at Downtown Terminal * 3 Hudson Bay Park becomes 9 Riversdale at Downtown Terminal * 7 Dundonald becomes 1 Exhibition at Downtown Terminal * 12 River Heights becomes 19 Centre Mall via Lorne Avenue at Downtown Terminal * 19 City Centre via Market Mall becomes 12 River Heights at Downtown Terminal * 5 McCormack becomes 15 Civic Operations Centre at Downtown Terminal * 15 Civic Operations Centre becomes either 10 Pleasant Hill or 5 McCormack (every 15 mins alternately) * 18 College Park becomes 55 Lakeridge at Place Riel * 55 Lakeridge becomes 18 College Park at Place Riel * 50 Lakeview becomes 17 Stonebridge at Place Riel (ONLY DURING PEAK HOURS) * 86 Rosewood becomes 84 Briarwood at Centre Mall Terminal. 84 Briarwood completes one full ride from Centre Mall then becomes 8 City Centre again * 60 Confederation becomes 63 Hampton Village at Place Riel * 63 Hampton Village becomes 65 Kensington at Place Riel * 65 Kensington becomes 60 Confederation at Place Riel * (On weekends and holidays only): Route 65/63 approach Confederation Terminal, then ride through Kensington, Confederation, Hampton Village, Blairmore areas before coming back to Confederation Terminal and ride back to Downtown.

Future

Bus Rapid Transit

In April 2019, Saskatoon City Council approved a final design for a new

Bus Rapid Transit Bus rapid transit (BRT), also called a busway or transitway, is a bus-based public transport system designed to have much more capacity, reliability and other quality features than a conventional bus system. Typically, a BRT system includes ...

system with an initial schedule of construction starting the summer of 2020 and the system opening for service in 2023. However, implications of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

pushed back the timeline to commence construction in 2023 and for operations in 2026. The system will run for 38 km over 3 lines, of which 3.5 km will be dedicated

right of way Right of way is the legal right, established by grant from a landowner or long usage (i.e. by prescription), to pass along a specific route through property belonging to another. A similar ''right of access'' also exists on land held by a gov ...

. It will include 85 stations (with 3 planned for future infill) with amenities like heated shelters, real-time information displays, transit priority signals, and public art opportunities. The city also plans to build transit-oriented developments in the

S.C., University Heights S.C., and at the

. This will be the first proper BRT system in Saskatchewan, and likely the only one for some time.

Other services

School service, special events, charter

Saskatoon Transit operates special morning and afternoon service to many of the city's schools, and also serves events at

. Buses are also available for

charter A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified. It is implicit that the granter retains superiority (or sovereignty), and that the rec ...

trips within 40 km of the city centre. Special routes which are available to the general public have route numbers in the 300-series, with route 399 being the SaskTel Centre special from the downtown terminal. SaskTel Centre sometimes offers charter service from locations other than the downtown, but because these are charter services which regular fare, passes and transfers do not apply, these do not have route numbers.

Access Transit

Access Transit is a shared-ride door-to-door service for people who are unable to use regular transit services. Passengers are required to register in the system and book their trips in advance, either on a per-trip basis or as a regularly scheduled "subscription trip". Fares and payment are the same as for regular transit service. Access Transit in Saskatoon has been used as a model for other cities in Canada and the United States.

Fleet

Saskatoon Transit's fleet consists largely of diesel buses, of which there are approximately 120 in service. Saskatoon also has 8, 39-foot (9.1 m) and 9,

articulated bus An articulated bus, also referred to as a banana bus, bendy bus, tandem bus, vestibule bus, wiggle wagon, stretch bus, or an accordion bus, (either a motor bus or trolleybus) is an articulated vehicle used in public transportation. It is usua ...

es made by

Nova Bus Nova Bus (stylized as NOVABUS) is a Canadian bus manufacturer headquartered in Saint-Eustache, Quebec, Canada. Nova is owned by the Volvo Group. The company has roots in the General Motors Diesel Division, which opened in 1979. Nova Bus was est ...

. Since 1995, Saskatoon has ordered Nova and

New Flyer New Flyer is a Canadian multinational Bus manufacturing, bus manufacturer, specializing in the production of transit buses. New Flyer is owned by the NFI Group, a holding company for several bus manufacturers. New Flyer has several manufacturing ...

low-floor bus A low-floor bus is a bus or trolleybus that has no steps between the ground and the floor of the bus at one or more entrances, and low floor for part or all of the passenger cabin. A bus with a partial low floor may also be referred to as a low- ...

es with the goal of a 100% low-floor fleet: achieved in 2018. This meant the retirement of the 6 remaining

Classic A classic is an outstanding example of a particular style; something of lasting worth or with a timeless quality; of the first or highest quality, class, or rank – something that exemplifies its class. The word can be an adjective (a ''c ...

high-floor buses. 371 (New Look) and 449 (Classic) are preserved and restored. Eight of the low-floor buses are

hybrid electric A hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) is a type of hybrid vehicle that combines a conventional internal combustion engine (ICE) system with an Electric motor, electric propulsion system (hybrid vehicle drivetrain). The presence of the electric powertr ...

. 88 buses are required for peak hour service commitments. Access Transit has a fleet of 28, accessible buses (allowing for 9 spares); 26 of which are lift-equipped and the two newest of which are low-floor, "truly accessible," and the standard Saskatoon Transit plans to use for its replacement vehicles. In fall 2009, a tender for the first 3 articulated buses was awarded to

. These buses were delivered in April 2010 and officially unveiled at a press conference in front of city hall in June 2010. In 2014, several buses were taken in for maintenance. in September, just before the buses was re-entering service (while the bus driver was getting coffee) they left one of the buses running when a kid discovered it and took it on a 10-meter joyride before hitting another bus that was also re-entering service, causing both to go back into maintenance. Saskatoon Transit's next fleet target is to have a 100% electric fleet by 2030. In 2021, a pilot test was conducted to study the logistics of running an electric fleet, with very positive results. File:Saskatoon transit bus 2.JPG, A

style, built by GM between 1982 and 1987 in the late 90s/early 2000s paint scheme. File:Saskatoon Transit bus429.jpg, A

style, built by MCI between 1987 and 1990. File:Saskatoon transit bus 3.JPG, A

style, built by MCI between 1987 and 1990 in the 80s/early 90s paint scheme. File:Saskatoon transit bus 1.JPG, A

D40LFR, painted in Saskatoon Transit's DART paint scheme, with bike carrier, received in 2006. File:Saskatoon Transit hybrid bus.JPG, A

DE40LFR, a diesel-electric hybrid, painted in the current paint scheme, with bike carrier, received in 2008.

Transit Terminal

On July 16, 2008, Saskatoon city council authorised a $4.2 million transit terminal to be constructed on a parking lot adjacent to the current on-street terminal. The new terminal would have centred around a

LEED Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is a green building certification program used worldwide. Developed by the non-profit U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), it includes a set of rating systems for the design, construction ...

-certified building with a

green roof A green roof or living roof is a roof of a building that is partially or completely covered with vegetation and a growing medium, planted over a waterproofing membrane. It may also include additional layers such as a root barrier and drainage ...

, surrounded by a ring of raised-platform stops. In addition to Saskatoon Transit, the building could also house a coffee shop and government offices such as social services or immigration. However, with the announcement of the new Bus Rapid Transit system came the news that the downtown transit mall will be removed as all three lines will share a station downtown on 1st Avenue.

Bus barn re-location

Saskatoon Transit Service has housed its operational headquarters around the 1913 original streetcar building at Avenue C and 24th Street. The city transit service afterwards adopted this area for bus warehouse garages and offices between Avenue C and D at 24th Street. In early 2017, transit storage and maintenance was moved to the newly-built Civic Operations Centre. The building has space to house over 200 vehicles and will help facilitate the growth and future electrification of Saskatoon's transit service and other municipal vehicles.

References

External links

Saskatoon Transit

Saskatoon Transit's online planner: Click and Go

{{Public transit systems in Canada Transport in Saskatoon Transit agencies in Saskatchewan Bus transport in Saskatchewan