WATCH ABOVE: The Calgary Police have promised a major blitz on Stampede drunk drivers. Jill Croteau reports.
CALGARY – If you’re planning on heading to the Calgary Stampede and having a few (or more) drinks to celebrate, there are many public transit and taxi options to choose from to make sure you get home safely.
Stampede party-goers who have had too much to drink have the option of purchasing discounted Calgary Transit tickets for a ride home on city buses and CTrains.
For the first time, CTrains will run 24 hours a day, starting the evening of July 2 and ending the morning of July 13. Between 6 a.m. and 12:45 a.m., trains will run every five to eight minutes; between 12:45 a.m. and 5 a.m., they’ll run every 30 minutes. The Stampede Express bus (Route 304) starts at North Pointe Terminal and has 11 stops along the way to the Stampede Grounds, according to Calgary Transit.
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If you prefer taxis to transit, there will be temporary taxi stands operating at the south and north entrances of Stampede Park at all hours during Stampede.
The stand at the north entrance is providing priority service to people with accessibility needs as it’s the most direct way to get into the park.
Closing time within Stampede Park is 3 a.m., so two additional late night temporary taxi stands will be set up to accommodate the last exodus.
Some bars and restaurants are also creating their own Stampede taxi stands, with hours managed by the individual establishments.
There are also “late night ride home stands” where taxis can line-up to wait for customers year-round that may come in handy for Stampede. These are set up Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights between 10 p.m. and 3 a.m. near restaurants, theatres and bars in the centre of the city.
Calgary police say 46 people were charged with impaired driving-related offences during the ten days of Stampede in 2014. So far this year, there have been 11 fatal collisions in Calgary killing 12 people. Alcohol has been a factor in five of those collisions.
READ MORE: Police warn of enhanced Checkstops during 2015 Calgary Stampede
With files from Melissa Ramsay
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