Bus Network Redesign

Saskatoon Transit will redesign the current transit network to reflect the emerging needs of a growing city, support the long-term growth strategy, and enable public transit to become a preferred travel option for more residents. Extensive public and community group engagement will be involved throughout the planning process, beginning in fall 2024. Saskatoon Transit will leverage the capital investment and timing of the three Link lines to complete the redesigned bus network for the launch of Link in the spring of 2028.

Why is this needed?

Saskatoon’s transit network continues to grow, and monthly ridership reached and surpassed pre-pandemic numbers by the end of 2024. There are routes with challenges managing peak-period passenger loads and schedule adherence, some of which will be addressed with the availability of more buses in the coming years through a fleet renewal strategy.

Continued population growth and changes in travel trends have also led to customer expectations for improved transit connectivity to destinations across the city and for travel during off-peak periods.

The current bus network primarily focuses on broad coverage to all communities, short walking distances to bus stops, and few or no transfers. This works for people who are more willing to accept longer wait times, travel only during peak times and take a longer ride to their destination. A coverage-focused network is more complex, with overlapping bus routes and possible duplication of services, and can be confusing for new riders or for making a spontaneous trip.

What network design principles will be used?

A combination of past public engagement and transit industry planning best practices has informed the proposed key network design principles (PDF).

1. A connective network has fewer, more frequent routes. Although more transfers may be required, increased frequencies will mean wait times and travel options will be improved.
2. Direct routes are shorter and have fewer stops, allowing customers to spend less time on the bus during their trip. Some people may have a longer walk to the bus stop, but the bus travels close to popular destinations.
3. Frequency-oriented networks have fewer routes and shorter routes, focused on busy corridors. There are shorter wait times for the next bus, but there may be a longer walk to a stop and more transfers.
4. An all-day network serves customers travelling at most times of the day, making transit an option for most trips. It extends service beyond the peak travel times for more equity.

Will all bus routes change?

The future transit network will shift towards a ridership-focused design; however, some areas may continue to need coverage-focused service. Individual routes can be designed to provide varying degrees of balance between these goals. For example, Link rapid transit lines place greater emphasis on ridership-focused principles such as speed, reliability, and directness of service to accommodate higher passenger demand. Conversely, OnDemand service is well suited for areas with lower ridership demand, fragmented street networks inhibiting efficient routing, or a need for local connectivity.

individual route types of transit service can be designed to balance meeting service goals in different ways. The bus network redesign typologies and network design principles offer a conceptual example of current route types defined in Saskatoon Transit’s Service Standards, and how they balance these principles.

The Saskatoon Transit Bus Network Redesign Strategy was received as information at the April 1, 2025 Standing Policy Committee on Transportation.