56,000 Calgary Transit users per week could be impacted by service cuts

The scope of the proposed service cuts on 27 Calgary Transit routes were presented to city council on Tuesday.

They mean bus riders will have to wait longer for that next bus or perhaps find another way around if they're travelling late at night or on weekends.

In all, 46,800 hours of service could be purgedfrom the 2018 timetables.

One change that caught the eye of a councillor was on route 93.

Like many other routes, evening and weekend frequencies of the buses are being decreased so transit users will have to wait longer.

But the proposal to effectively double the wait time during weekday morning and evening peaks from seven to 15 minutes isn't sitting well withCoun. Jeff Davison.

"We're trying to encourage high density in this area. We're trying to encourage ridership, especially when we're trying to connect people to the west leg of theLRT," he said.

"Are these cuts doing our best to encourage people to get on the bus and take the train?"

Some people might just drive instead

Davison said he fears frustrated commuters will just opt to drive downtown from his west side ward instead of taking transit.

The director of Calgary Transit, Doug Morgan, said his team took the least harmfulapproach in making service cuts, which amount to $6.8 million in savings.

He said these were not easy decisions.

"We do feel their pain," said Morgan. "Sometimes in order to meet the requirements, we have to make these reductions."

According to city budget documents, the proposed route 93 change will affect 9,750 riders a week.

Only changes to route 2 will affect more people.

Switching the mid-day bus frequency on that route from a bus every 15 minutes to oneevery 20 minutes will affect 13,350 riders everyweek.

Cuts may just get approved

Prior to this week's budget debatethere was a feeling among some members of council that some of the transit cuts would be rolled back.

However, Mayor Naheed Nenshisays with the details being revealed, he's not so sure.

"I think they've done a pretty good job," he said.

"Anytime someone's bus route changes it's going to hurt people in some way, but going from 30 to 35 minutes especially with real-time tracking on the transit app people can plan their day."

City council has yet to approve the changes.

Budget debate continues

The cuts at Calgary Transit are part of a larger austerity packageacross city operations, designed to cut $33 million from next year's budget.

Council is being forced to cut expenses to make up for lower revenues at city hall during the economic downturn.

Although there is no property tax increase in the budget for 2018, taxpayers are likelyto pay more regardless.

A one-time rebate on last year's 1.5 per cent property tax hike means that increase will be collected in 2018.

Council is also looking at moving into education tax room vacated by the province which will add another 1.4 per cent to the property tax bill.

It means a 2.9 per cent increase is currently on the table, but that could go higher if council approves a $20.8 million increase in the police budget.

Debate on the 2018 budget adjustments will continue at council on Wednesday.

Is your route on the list?

Here is a list of the bus routes that are proposed to see service cuts:

• Route 2: mid-day frequencychanged from 15 to 20 minutes.
• Route 7: mid-day frequency changed from 15to 20 minutes.
• Route 10: weekend frequency changed from 30 to 43 minutes.
• Route 15: weekday evening frequency changed from 30 to 60 minutes.
• Route 24: weekday/weekend evening frequency changed from 30to 40 minutes.
• Route 25: weekend servicechanged from 18 or 30 minutes depending on time of dayto 35 minutes.
• Route 27: two trips cut after 22:00 on weekdays; service removed on weekends.
• Route 28: AM/PM peak service adjusted from 15 to 30 minutes.
• Route 31: weekday frequency changed from 15 or 25 minutes depending on time of dayto 15 or 30 minutes. Weekend frequencychangedfrom 25 to 35 minutes.
• Route 34: weekend mid-day frequency changed from 30to 32 minutes.
• Route 78: weekend frequency changed from 23/30 mins to 33 mins
• Route 83: weekday AM/PM peak frequency changed from 15to 25 minutes.
• Route 86: weekday after 22:00 and weekend frequency changed from 30 to 40 minutes.
• Route 89: Weekday AM/PM peak frequency changed from 30 to 35-40 minutes.
• Route 93: weekday AM/PM peak frequency changed from 7 to 15 minutes, late evening frequency changed from 30 to 40 minutes.
• Route 105: weekend frequency changed from 30 to 35 minutes.
• Route 113: weekend frequency changed from 30 to 60 minutes.
• Route 114: weekday eveningand weekend frequency changed from 30 to 40 minutes.
• Route 120: weekend frequency changed from 30 to 40 minutes.
• Route 134: weekend frequency changed from 30 to 40 minutes.
• Route 146: four partial trips cut after midnight on weekdays
• Route 174: weekend service removed
• Route 199: weekday late evening frequency changed from 25 to 35 minutes, weekend frequency changed from 25 to 37 minutes.
• Route 300: weekday eveningfrequency changed from 20 to 30 minutes.
• Route 420: weekday midday frequency changed from 25 to 33 minutes, weekday frequency after 22:00 changed from 30 to 35 minutes, weekend frequency changed from 30 to 36 minutes.
• Route 453: weekday late evening and weekend frequency changed from 30 to 45 minutes.
• Route 456: weekday late eveningand weekend frequency changed from 30 to 45 minutes.

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