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Whether you’re visiting Edmonton for the first time or a seasoned pro, you can easily find everything you need to ride Edmonton Transit Service (ETS).
| Arc Card Pay-As-You-Go (90 min within Edmonton) | $2.75 |
| Cash | $3.50 |
| 90-minute Arc Ticket | $3.50 |
| 24-hour Arc Ticket | $10.25 |
| Airport Service | $5 |
ETS makes adjustments to the transit network based on the usage of the routes, available funding, and the City’s Transit Service Standards (Procedure C539).
ETS continues to monitor and adjust the network as ridership recovers. We also monitor comments from our public feedback form when considering future changes.
Upcoming changes to bus, LRT, and On Demand service can be found in the 2023 Annual Service Plan. New adjustments will be considered next year as part of the 2024 Annual Service Plan.
School boards are responsible for providing student transportation, however, students are welcome to use ETS. School Specials are intended to alleviate overloads on regular service caused by a large number of students travelling between a neighbourhood and a school. All customers are welcome to use both School Special and regular routes. ETS does not provide School Specials to every school and students may need to make transfers to get to their designated school. At this time, ETS does not have available funding to increase the number of school specials.
The Edmonton Public School Board has guidelines for acceptable trip duration and number of transfers for students; however, these are the guidelines of the School Board for planning designated school boundaries, and not for ETS. It is used by the Board as one consideration when looking at providing yellow bus versus ETS service. If service from your residence does not meet the Board’s policy, you may contact the School Board to see if other options can be arranged.
Regular sized ETS buses are designed to serve an average of 50 customers during peak hours. A regular bus with 50 passengers will have about 15 standing passengers.
ETS has a limited number of articulated buses, which are the largest in our fleet. Most of these buses are currently allocated to bus routes 8 and 500X. These routes were selected based on greatest need and the infrastructure necessary to operate these buses safely along the route.
Most bus stops are designed for a regular size bus. To deploy articulated buses on a route, ETS needs to make improvements and/or adjustments to ensure all stops are suitable for articulated buses.
ETS works hard to ensure buses and the LRT run according to schedule. Please keep in mind, similar to other forms of transportation, buses and LRT are affected by traffic issues, adverse weather conditions and/or construction, which may cause delays.
If you are continuously experiencing difficulties with a particular bus route, please report the specific bus route number, time and location. The issue will be forwarded to the appropriate ETS department to look into.
When scheduling routes, ETS works to make connections that serve the largest number of customers. ETS is not able to shift route schedules in order to accommodate individual requests. While we recognize five minutes may not seem like much, it has a domino effect for that bus throughout the day and may cause missed connections for other customers.
ETS regularly monitors the number of customers riding all routes. During the spring and summer, the number of customers is lower for many reasons including schools being out of session. As such, service is temporarily reduced so we have available funding to match higher demand during other times of the year. These seasonal reductions are reinstated in September.
Each trip planner uses different algorithms to come up with the recommended trip plans. The trip plans in each one are valid, so choose the one that best meets your needs.
We are currently in the process of relocating shelters from closed bus stop locations to priority locations. Ridership was the primary consideration for allocating shelters, but we also considered the frequency of service and prioritized stops that are close to senior’s residences and activity centres, recreation centres, medical facilities and libraries.
Bus stop placement is based on site conditions, cost, stop spacing and walking distance guidelines. Adding a bus stop may improve accessibility for customers, but reduces the travel speed of buses and increases maintenance cost. As per our Transit Service Standards ( Procedure C539 ) we target a stop spacing of 250 to 500 metres, with more closely spaced stops in the core and wider stop spacing in the suburbs. If you feel a bus stop is in an unsafe location, please call 311 to file a report.
ETS endeavours to improve accessibility by providing a hard surface and connector walk at all bus stops. Existing stops that lack pedestrian infrastructure will be improved as funding becomes available.
ETS programs each route into the software system and creates a "line trace" (much like you would see on Google maps). When the bus travels along a route, it follows a 'line trace', which is the path the route takes along its regular stops. Using the line trace, ETS is able to program the bus to properly announce stops at the appropriate locations. However, when the bus goes on a detour or is forced to take a different routing it can no longer follow that particular line trace. As such, announcements are not played during this section of travel.
Once the bus comes back on route after a detour has ended, the announcements will also begin to play, as the bus' location will match up with the proper announcement.
The escalators are very heavily used along the transit system. Some LRT stations have approximately 30,000 passengers moving through the station on a typical weekday. During the winter months, snow and ice are tracked through the station and onto the escalators which can lead to additional mechanical maintenance and failure.
ETS works closely with our contractor to repair the escalators and get them back up and running as soon as possible. Similar to other mechanical equipment, escalators and elevators naturally depreciate over time and require regular maintenance and repairs.
For more information, visit Elevator and Escalator Outages/Maintenance for real-time outages and maintenance schedule.
Because buses can be on the road up to 8 hours at a time, the exterior and interior are cleaned daily every time the vehicle returns to the bus garage. This also ensures ETS collects any lost items that are left on Edmonton Transit property and turned in to the Lost and Found office the next working day.
The LRT has two car types. The heating systems on both car types are automatic and not operator adjustable. The older cars have no air conditioning function and can only heat the car or ventilate the interior if it is too warm. The target for these cars is approximately 18 degrees Celsius. The newer cars have fully functioning HVAC systems that can range from full air conditioning to full heat. They are computer controlled and vary depending on inside and outside air temperatures.
The heating system is checked on each inspection and any issues are repaired before the car is returned to service. The interior temperature is also dependent on amount of people entering/exiting the vehicle, outside air temperature, windows opened or closed by customers, how many doors opened on the car at the last station. It has been found that the center of the older cars and the main seating area on the newer cars are the warmest areas to travel.
The heaters inside transit centres are radiant heaters: this means they are designed to warm any objects in the path of the heat being radiated. All heaters are automatically activated by temperature sensors. The heaters do not come on until the temperature inside the transit centre drops below -5 degrees.
Some station heaters are switched on in groups. As the temperature drops, more and more heaters come on. Stations may also have motion sensors to activate the heaters when people are present. In these circumstances, the heater will start when a person walks into the station.
ETS works hard to balance public comfort with environmental stewardship. Adding additional heaters depends on funding and resources in the ETS Operating Budget. ETS recommends all patrons dress according to the weather.
There are a variety of advantages and drawbacks when locating bus stops either before or after an intersection. Nearside stops (before an intersection) can be beneficial where riders transfer between two bus routes on different roads. In addition, vehicles behind the bus stopped on the farside of an intersection (after the intersection) may need to change lanes to avoid delays.
ETS and many other transit agencies generally prefer locating bus stops on the farside of intersections for several reasons, including:
Bus shelters locations are evaluated based on Section 3.6 of the City’s Complete Streets Design and Construction Standards. Shelters that do not meet our standards will be removed or relocated.
During extreme weather conditions and heightened traffic congestion, buses can sometimes get delayed and fall behind schedule. This then allows other buses on that route to catch up and leads to bunching in the area where the constituent was traveling.
I-lights (also known as bus advance lights) are often used where buses need to make a left turn from a collector road onto a busy arterial road where there would normally be a long delay waiting for a green light or where there is no traffic signal present at all.
I-lights are also used for queue jumps. Intersections can be set up with a special transit phase which allows buses to jump ahead of traffic from an auxiliary lane a few seconds before other traffic receives a green light. Queue jumps are used at locations where bus stops are located outside of travel lanes in right turn bays or other places where buses would otherwise have trouble merging into traffic after making a stop at a bus stop.
Reasons that more I-lights are not used in Edmonton include:
ETS participates in a "Limited Idling Program" between May 1 - September 30. Drivers turn off the bus engine during daylight hours when the layover period is three minutes or more, the outside air temperature is 10 degrees Celsius or more, and the bus filter is not in a regeneration cycle. Once the temperature lowers, for short layovers, and while the particulate filter is active, ETS continues to run the engines to ensure passenger comfort and promptness.
Most often, "Not in Service" buses are travelling to a new location to begin service as a new route. ETS has firm start-times for routes in order to meet customer needs. "Not in Service" buses are unable to pick up passengers at every bus stop, because these buses travel across the city with different routes day to day.
Operators will straddle both lanes on the High Level Bridge and the hill on the south side of the bridge for clearance reasons due to the width of the traffic lanes on the bridge. If the bus returns into the lane nearest the curb before reaching the last bend in the road at the top of the hill, the front left corner of the bumper will enter into the left side or center lane of the roadway. This will put the bumper in far enough to make contact with a vehicle that in this lane, if it were beside the bus. To prevent this, operators are trained to maintain both lanes until passing the last bend in the roadway at the top of the hill.
Operators are allowed to make purchase stops and take washroom breaks, provided their absence from the bus does not disrupt the schedule.
E-Cigarettes - Smoking e-cigarettes or 'vaping' is not permitted on ETS Property.
Cannabis - Cannabis cannot be consumed on buses or LRT, nor inside bus shelters, transit centres, LRT stations or platforms.
Many passengers carry large, heavy backpacks that could injure other passengers. Please use care and courtesy when travelling with such items. Carry backpacks in front of you to minimize chance of hitting other passengers. When seated, hold your backpack on your lap so other passengers can be seated as well.
Starting August 30, 2021, e-scooters will be allowed on the LRT at all times of the day. Please note the meter on the e-scooter may continue to run while riding the LRT. E-scooters are not permitted on buses or bike racks on the front of buses. Non-motorized scooters are allowed on buses and LRT.
Provided there is room, skis, toboggans and other large bulky items are permitted on buses. Operators have the right to refuse passengers attempting to board with such items on heavily loaded buses. Skis and toboggans must be carried upright and stored out of the way of the aisle. Use care and courtesy to avoid inconveniencing or injuring other passengers.
Passengers are not permitted to wear rollerblades or skates on the bus. Carry such items in a safe manner (by the wheels or blades), not slung over your shoulder or attached to a hockey stick. Use care and courtesy to avoid inconveniencing or injuring other passengers.
Personal listening devices (for example, iPods, MP3 players, and so on) are allowed on the bus at the Operator’s discretion. If your music disturbs the driver or another passenger, you will be asked to turn it down or off.
Consumption of food and drink is allowed on ETS buses and LRT provided that food and beverages are in containers designed for travel and under the control of the customer. Passengers are permitted to board with such products where there is little probability of a spill; however, passengers may be asked to dispose of the product before boarding if the Operator perceives a safety or cleanliness issue.
Passengers are permitted to travel on buses and LRT with a pet provided the pet is properly confined in an appropriate container (for example, a cage) and remains confined for the duration of the trip. Use care and courtesy to avoid inconveniencing or injuring other passengers. No fare is required for the animal.
Service dogs trained to aid or to guide the visually impaired, hearing impaired, or persons with other disabilities are permitted on buses, provided their animal has been trained by an ADI-accredited organization. No fare is required for the animal. Service animals must be kept out of the aisles and must be under control and with their owner at all times.
Passengers who require oxygen life support systems and apparatus are permitted to travel on ETS. However, propane tanks and other flammable/explosive materials are not permitted to travel on ETS.
Bicycles and folding bicycles are not allowed inside ETS buses for safety reasons, however, all ETS buses are equipped with bike racks on the front of the bus (except On Demand Transit buses) to accommodate passengers using bikes for part of their commute. Two adult-sized bicycles can fit on a bike rack at one time. Bicycles and folding bicycles are allowed on the LRT at all times of the day provided they comply with conditions outlined in Municipal Bylaw 8353.
Bike racks on bicycles have the following limitations:
Note: Bicycles are not allowed in bike racks on ETS buses providing regional trips (Routes 560, 580 and 747). The bike racks were not designed to securely hold a bike at highway speed and there is the potential for a bike to become loose and fall off during the trip.
These routes come often and are similar to previous routes 1 to 9.
They connect transit centres in at least two quadrants of the city, for example West Edmonton Mall Transit Centre and Mill Woods Transit Centre.
These are routes that operate in one area of the city.
They refer to different quadrants in the city and roughly align with positions on a clockface.
Note: Regional routes in St. Albert use route numbers in the 200s, while Strathcona County Transit buses use route numbers in the 400s. For more information about these routes, as well as service to Leduc, Beaumont, Fort Saskatchewan and Spruce Grove, visit our Regional Service page.
Arc is accepted as a valid form of payment on participating regional transit systems.
Route numbers that end in a letter provide a special type of service.
These routes have fewer stops and carry suburban commuters to downtown destinations and the University of Alberta.
Examples:
Check your schedules and the destination sign on the front of the bus to make sure you’re getting on the right one. If it’s not clear to you, ask the bus operator.
Routes that operate until approximately 3am, 7 days a week.
All ETS customers can ride these buses, but make sure you check the schedules first so you know where it goes. Many schools are also served by regular ETS routes and there are extra trips on some local routes to accommodate a particular school.
