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Founded 2005
Headquarters 301 24th Street West
Locale Saskatoon, SK
Service type bus service, paratransit, bus rapid transit,
Routes 16
Daily ridership 20,000
Web site City Transit

Saskatoon Transit is the public transport arm of the City of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. Saskatoon is a city located in central Saskatchewan, Canada, on the South Saskatchewan River, with a Saskatchewan (səˈskætʃəwən) is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of 588276 A transit bus (US (also known as a commuter bus, city bus, or public bus) is a Bus used for Public transport purposes Paratransit is an alternative mode of flexible passenger transportation that does not follow fixed routes or schedules Bus rapid transit ( BRT) is a broad term given to a variety of transportation systems that through improvements to infrastructure vehicles and scheduling attempt to use Saskatoon is a city located in central Saskatchewan, Canada, on the South Saskatchewan River, with a Saskatchewan (səˈskætʃəwən) is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of 588276 Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page It operates a fleet of diesel buses. Diesel or Diesel fuel (ˈdiːzəl in general is any Fuel used in Diesel engines The most common is a specific fractional distillate of petroleum A total of 16 bus routes serve every area of the city, carrying 7. 2 million passengers in 2005, an average of nearly 20,000 per day. Saskatoon Transit is a member of the Canadian Urban Transit Association. Canadian Urban Transit Association (CUTA is a trade association for the urban transit industry in Canada.

Contents

History

Saskatoon Transit was initially known as Saskatoon Municipal Railway and began operating on January 1, 1913 with a fleet of streetcars. New Year See also New Year The Ancient Romans began their consular year on January 1st since 153 BC Year 1913 ( MCMXIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common A tram, tramcar, trolley, trolley car, or streetcar is a railborne vehicle, of lighter weight and construction than a Train [1][2] Service as far as Sutherland began in 1914 when it was still a separate village. Sutherland is a mostly residential neighbourhood located in east-central Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. [2] The servicing garage was (and remains) located in the Caswell Hill neighbourhood, on the north side of 24th Street between Avenues C and D. Layout Streets are laid out east and west avenues are laid out running north and south (A second garage now faces it across 24th Street. )

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. Events 1570 - A Tidal wave in the North Sea devastates the coast from Holland to Jutland, killing more than 1000 Year 1984 ( MCMLXXXIV) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1984 Gregorian calendar) [2] 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 as of 2007 no changes have been made. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century.

Diesel buses supplemented the streetcar service from at least 1938. In the 1940s a decision was made to replace streetcar service with trolley buses; the first trolley bus ran on November 22, 1948, starting a three-year transition period, and the last streetcar ran on November 10, 1951. Events 498 - Kofi Aseidu- After the death of Anastasius II, Symmachus is elected Pope in the Lateran Year 1948 ( MCMXLVIII) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the 1948 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1444 - Battle of Varna: The crusading forces of King Vladislaus III of Varna (aka Ulaszlo I of Hungary and Wladyslaw Year 1951 ( MCMLI) was a Common year starting on Monday. Events of 1951 January With the demise of the streetcars, Saskatoon Municipal Railway was renamed Saskatoon Transit System on August 15, 1949. Events 778 - The Battle of Roncevaux Pass, at which Roland is killed Year 1949 ( MCMXLIX) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The trolley buses were in turn phased out and ran for the last time on May 10, 1974. Events 1291 - Scottish Nobles recognize the authority of Edward I of England. Year 1974 ( MCMLXXIV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. [1]

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.

Two of the original Saskatoon streetcars are on display and being restored 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

2005 Strategic Plan Study

A comprehensive study[3] of Saskatoon Transit's service was undertaken in 2005, outlining many deficiencies and making many recommendations. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Transit ridership had fallen from 12. 4 million passengers in 1987 to 7. Year 1987 ( MCMLXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar) 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:

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 and Briarwood had no bus service at all on weekends. Montgomery Place is a post World War II community erected for veterans outside of the city of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, which consists primarily of Briarwood is a residential neighbourhood located in the southeast part of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. 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. Dundonald is one of many subdivisions of the city of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan which was built in the 1980s and until recently was the furthest north west quarter of the Silverspring is a residential neighbourhood located in northeast Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. 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. Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology (SIAST is a diploma granting College that has four campuses across Saskatchewan. Due to extreme congestion at the University of Saskatchewan, several routes bypassed the campus altogether, forcing students to cross College Drive on foot. The University of Saskatchewan ( U of S) is a Coeducational public Research university located on the east side of the South Saskatchewan 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:

U-PASS

Starting in September 2007, University of Saskatchewan undergraduate students will pay a mandatory $59/term fee that turns their student card into a transit pass (the Universal Bus Pass or U-PASS). The University of Saskatchewan ( U of S) is a Coeducational public Research university located on the east side of the South Saskatchewan The University of Saskatchewan Students' Union held a referendum in February 2007, and the motion passed with 59% of voters approving. The University of Saskatchewan Students' Union represents undergraduate students at the University of Saskatchewan which is in Saskatoon [4] A second referendum will be held in 2009 to decide whether to implement the U-PASS permanently. A similar referendum in 2004 failed; it is believed that the improved routes, combined with allowing students in on-campus residences to opt out of the U-PASS, were the important factors that changed the result in 2007. "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " Saskatoon Transit is planning further service improvements to deal with the expected increase in ridership.

Routes

July 2006 route changes

The most visible and immediate of the 2005 Strategic Plan Study was the complete overhaul of bus routes effective July 2, 2006. Events 310 - Pope Miltiades is elected 626 - In fear of assassination Li Shimin ambushes and kills his rival Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. The new routes provide generally better service overall; however, quite a few areas have seen lower service levels, particularly older central neighbourhoods that used to have numerous redundant routes. This has resulted in inconveniences for many passengers, especially those who had used the system for a long time.

Service is now more evenly distributed throughout the city. Nearly every bus[5] now goes to the downtown terminal, substantially reducing the number of transfers. 90% of Saskatoon has access to the University of Saskatchewan without needing to transfer, and peak service to the University is roughly doubled (57 buses/hour versus 33); SIAST Kelsey Campus is now served by a DART route as well as three other bus routes. The University of Saskatchewan ( U of S) is a Coeducational public Research university located on the east side of the South Saskatchewan Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology (SIAST is a diploma granting College that has four campuses across Saskatchewan. The route changes have resulted in an increase of 2. 3% in service hours (6,600 additional hours) with no additional buses or operating costs; part of this is the improved efficiency of the new routes, and part is due to additional service in off-peak hours.

Latest route changes

A number of the new routes have been modified since the introduction date; prior to September 2007, most of these have been minor routing changes to improve service to very specific areas. The following more substantial changes were implemented effective September 2, 2007:

DART (Direct Access Rapid Transit)

The DART routes are the flagship of the new service. The four DART routes interline in the central sections to form two corridors with extremely frequent service. Along this portion of their routes, bus stops are widely spaced to increase speed, and there are "express" sections on each route with no stops for over a kilometre. The interlined routes 50/60 run from Confederation Mall to The Centre via downtown and the University of Saskatchewan, and routes 70/80 run from The Mall at Lawson Heights to the University Heights Suburban Centre via SIAST, downtown and the University. Confederation Mall is a shopping mall located at 22nd Street and Circle Drive in Saskatoon Saskatchewan. The Centre is a major Shopping centre located east of the junction of Circle Drive and 8th Street in Saskatoon Saskatchewan. The University of Saskatchewan ( U of S) is a Coeducational public Research university located on the east side of the South Saskatchewan The Mall at Lawson Heights is a Shopping centre located at the junction of Warman Road and Primrose Drive in north Saskatoon Saskatchewan. The routes continue past these points, each serving a residential loop at either end (a total of 8 loops). 27[6] of the newest buses in Saskatoon Transit's fleet have been given a distinctive mint-green DART livery and are used exclusively on the DART routes. A livery is a Uniform or other sign worn in a non-military context on a person or object (such as an airplane or Vehicle) to denote a relationship Most of these buses are air-conditioned and all have bicycle racks on the front.

Regular and commuter routes

There are 12 non-DART bus routes. Although the buses serving these routes are generally older, about a third of the non-DART buses are now low-floor, including 20 acquired in 2007 and 2008. Most have a blue livery to contrast with the DART buses.

The 10 regular routes are numbered 1–6 and 11–14. These routes provide comprehensive geographical coverage of every area of the city, except for the areas served by the DART residential loops. They are slower than their DART counterparts, with more frequent stops and less frequent service. All the routes meet downtown, except Route 13. All the single-digit routes except Route 2 also meet at the University, along with Route 13. The single-digit routes mainly serve residential areas, while the double-digit routes serve a mixture of residential and industrial areas.

Routes 21 and 22 are specialty routes that provide additional service for commuters. They only operate in one direction at a time—toward downtown during the morning rush hour, and away from downtown at other times (midday and afternoon peak for Route 21; afternoon peak only for Route 22). Rush hour at Shinjuku 02JPG|thumb|right|250px|Rush hour at Shinjuku Station, Yamanote Line]] A rush hour or peak hour is a part of the day during which Route 21 serves Forest Grove and the northern half of Sutherland, and Route 22 serves Fairhaven and Parkridge. Forest Grove is a primarily residential neighbourhood located in northeast Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. Sutherland is a mostly residential neighbourhood located in east-central Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. See also List of shopping malls in Saskatoon History The community of Fairhaven first appeared on city maps circa 1971 and the History The roadways are to the most part named after those people who contributed significantly to the City of Saskatoon

Service frequencies

Routes Monday - Friday Peak Monday - Friday Midday Monday - Saturday Night Saturday AM Saturday PM Sunday
(Start to 9:30 AM, 3:00 PM to 6:15 PM) (9:30 AM to 3:00 PM) (6:15 PM to End) (Start to 11:00 AM) (11:00 AM to End)
Regular 30 minutes 30 minutes 60 minutes 60 minutes 30 minutes 60 minutes
DART 10 minutes 15 minutes 30 minutes 30 minutes 15 minutes 30 minutes
21 30 minutes 30 minutes No service No service No service No service
22 30 minutes No service No service No service No service No service

NOTES: DART bus frequency is half the above on non-interlined parts of the routes. Routes 21 and 22 provide peak-direction service only (towards downtown during morning peak, away from downtown at other times).

Route names

The names next to each route number are used on the "curtains" that display route information on the front of each bus.

NOTE: On weekends, Route 12 terminates at the downtown terminal and the curtain reads "City Centre" rather than "Stonebridge". Wildwood is a primarily residential neighbourhood located in the southeast part of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. Education WP Bate School was originally located on Ottawa Avenue South in 1974 Riversdale is an older Inner city neighbourhood located near the center of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. College Park is a primarily residential neighbourhood located in the east-central part of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. Dundonald is one of many subdivisions of the city of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan which was built in the 1980s and until recently was the furthest north west quarter of the Willowgrove is a primarily residential neighbourhood located in northeast Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. See also List of shopping malls in Saskatoon History The community of Fairhaven first appeared on city maps circa 1971 and the Briarwood is a residential neighbourhood located in the southeast part of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. Saskatoon John G Diefenbaker International Airport, is an Airport located northwest of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Canada. The Exhibition subdivision of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, is located on the banks of the South Saskatchewan River and was developed between River Heights is a neighbourhood in Lawson Suburban Development Area, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Stonebridge is a primarily residential community currently under development on the south side of the city of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada The Mall at Lawson Heights is a Shopping centre located at the junction of Warman Road and Primrose Drive in north Saskatoon Saskatchewan. The Exhibition subdivision of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, is located on the banks of the South Saskatchewan River and was developed between Industrial Characteristics Undeveloped land office space and existing industrial facilities are available in Saskatoon albeit considering Saskatoon's economic growth over the Forest Grove is a primarily residential neighbourhood located in northeast Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. Layout Diefenbaker Drive is a main artery which curves around the neighbourhood on both the easthern and the northern limits Lakeview is a primarily residential neighbourhood located in the southeast part of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. Lakeridge is a residential neighbourhood located in the southeast part of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. Lawson Heights derived its origins when ReverendStephen George Lawson homesteaded here on the North east quarter of section 10 Township 37 Range 5 West of the 3rd Meridian Silverspring is a residential neighbourhood located in northeast Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. Silverwood Heights is a mostly residential neighbourhood located in north-central Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. Erindale is a primarily residential neighbourhood located in northeast Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. Arbor Creek is a primarily residential neighbourhood located in northeast Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada.

Some buses change their route number at their termini, which is advertised in the bus pamphlets as a "stay-in-seat transfer". The list of these "transfers" is as follows:

The Crescent Shuttle

In addition to the regular bus routes, Saskatoon Transit provides free shuttle bus service connecting the Broadway, Downtown and Riversdale business areas. Confederation Mall is a shopping mall located at 22nd Street and Circle Drive in Saskatoon Saskatchewan. The Centre is a major Shopping centre located east of the junction of Circle Drive and 8th Street in Saskatoon Saskatchewan. These buses run every half-hour from 10 a. m. to 3 p. m. Tuesdays to Fridays, and 9 a. m. to 2 p. m. Saturdays.

Prior to 2008, this shuttle was known as the "Flag a Ride" shuttle bus.

Fleet

Saskatoon Transit's fleet consists almost exclusively of 40-foot diesel buses, of which there are approximately 120 in service. As of 2006, there were 113 full-sized buses in Saskatoon Transit's fleet, ranging from brand new to 30 years old, with an average age of 15 years. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Since 1995, all new buses have been New Flyer low floor buses; these now make up more than half the fleet, with 72 in service, of which 46 have been acquired since 2006. Four of the buses purchased in 2006 were electric hybrid buses. A hybrid electric vehicle (HEV is a Hybrid vehicle which combines a conventional propulsion system with a Rechargeable energy storage system (RESS 90 buses are required for peak hour service commitments. [3][7]

Saskatoon Transit also operates a small number of smaller low-floor buses (at least 2) on the Crescent Shuttle.

References

  1. ^ a b David A. Wyatt, Transit History of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, 1989–2007.
  2. ^ a b c City of Saskatoon Archives. Significant Dates: A Saskatoon Chronology, 1999–2006.
  3. ^ a b IBI Group. Saskatoon Transit Strategic Plan Study, Saskatoon Transit, October 2005.
  4. ^ U-PASS, University of Saskatchewan Students' Union, November 2007.
  5. ^ Effective September 2, 2007, Route 13 no longer goes to the downtown terminal, but still goes to the University Terminal. Events 44 BC - Pharaoh Cleopatra VII of Egypt declares her son co-ruler as Ptolemy XV Caesarion. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. This means that one would have to transfer twice to get from Route 13 to the peak-hours-only Route 22. With every other pair of routes, a direct transfer is possible at some point.
  6. ^ Saskatoon Transit main page, June 26, 2007.
  7. ^ Mr Death and others have observed that the actual numbers of buses acquired in 2006, 2007 and 2008 are 18, 12 and 16 respectively.

External links

See also


Saskatoon is a city located in central Saskatchewan, Canada, on the South Saskatchewan River, with a Saskatchewan (səˈskætʃəwən) is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of 588276 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
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