Improving bus stops and accessibility

Saskatoon Transit received 40 bus stop nominations from residents during the 2022 edition of the Bus Stop Blues campaign.  

As part of the campaign, which is now in its fourth year, stop nominations are grouped into one of three categories: sidewalk/accessibility; new shelter/repair; or general maintenance. This year, 90% of the nominations were for either for a new shelter or repairs to an existing shelter.

A total of 19 nominations were received through this year’s campaign for a new shelter, all of which will be reviewed in detail.

“When determining a new shelter location, we look at safety and connectivity, property lines and also examine how a location request correlates to what is proposed within the future Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) network,” says Cory Shrigley, Customer Support & Engagement Manager with Saskatoon Transit. “Boarding data, direction of travel, service frequency, and whether it serves multiple routes is also taken into consideration.”

Shrigley also notes that many of this year’s campaign nominations involved broken glass at existing bus shelters, these will all be addressed in the coming weeks. When the glass in a shelter is broken, it is cleaned up as soon as it can be, on the day it is reported to Saskatoon Transit, with glass typically replaced within a week. However, this summer many shelters were being smashed on the same day as glass was repaired with the total cost of replacing all glass in a shelter being $2,000.

“The Bus Stop Blues campaign is important to us, as it allows riders an opportunity to communicate where the priority areas are to improve the transit experience” says Shrigley. “Safety, reliability, and ease of access are essential to increasing ridership.”

“As we work towards a BRT system, Transit connectivity becomes even more important. We’re looking to the future in terms of the locations that make sense, along with responding to the needs of those we serve today,” says Taha Najam, Transit Planning Engineer.

The total investment for bus stop improvements from September 2022 – September 2023 is $100,000.