The City of Lethbridge said the new cityLINK network is aimed at improving the transit experience for riders.
Tim Sanderson with Lethbridge Transit said he hopes it will serve current clients and draw in new users.
“I want to see people who haven’t used transit before because the existing system didn’t work for them.
“I want to see them try transit and just see how good it actually is, especially going to places like the downtown and the university where parking can sometimes be an issue,” added Sanderson.
Sanderson said the aim is to provide high-frequency fixed-route service to areas with high ridership potential, while areas with lower ridership will be provided demand-response service upon request. He compared the service to Uber.
The new route system is intended to drastically cut down the time it takes to travel from some of the higher traffic areas.
“Under the cityLINK system, it’ll be a 10-minute bus ride from downtown to the university and there will be a bus available every 10 minutes in order to make that trip so a huge improvement over where we are now.”
He also said no additional buses will be added and it’s likely a reduction in staff will happen, but nothing has been finalized.
Get daily Lethbridge news
“We anticipate there will be a slight reduction in manpower, which is to coincide with council’s mandate to cut $350,000 from our budget, which this project will also do.”
The city wants transit user feedback to help build on its planned routes and rollout. A survey is available on the city’s website along with virtual presentations.
The new cityLINK network is set to launch in September.