City officials will address complaints about Edmonton transit on Tuesday afternoon, on the first day of reduced service due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Edmonton Transit Service officials are also expected to discuss concerns they’ve received about crowded Edmonton buses and trains and the 311 calls they’ve received.
On Monday, the City of Edmonton announced that transit services would operate on a reduced service schedule beginning Tuesday.
All buses and LRT are now running on Saturday schedules.
Mayor Don Iveson said the city made this decision to reduce the number of buses and LRT on city streets and increase the level of cleaning and disinfecting taking place on these services.
On Tuesday morning, Mayor Don Iveson said on Twitter that he’s heard concerns about the adjustments leading to more crowded buses and trains. He apologized and said he’s pushing city officials for changes.
I’m hearing your concerns on <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/yegtransit?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#yegtransit</a> service adjustments loud and clear this morning and pushing <a href=”https://twitter.com/CityofEdmonton?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@cityofedmonton</a> officials hard for service changes.<br><br>Sorry about this. <br><br>Your safety and the safety of our staff matters most in these challenging times. <br><br>We’ll fix this. <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/yegcc?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#yegcc</a> <a href=”https://t.co/QXa4undxU7″>https://t.co/QXa4undxU7</a>
—@doniveson
At a Monday news conference, interim city manager Adam Laughlin said transit ridership had dropped around 22 per cent because of the coronavirus pandemic and is expected to fall further because of the cancellation of K-12 classes.