Positive Transit Changes!
- allardkg
- Jul 1
- 4 min read
I have been advocating for better transit since 2021, it was part of my platform.
In February 2025 I spoke with Managing Director of Public Services (MDPS) Joseph (Joe) Hutter after a Council meeting and asked him about improving transit, telling him some of my ideas about creating a bus riding culture in the City of Medicine Hat. I had sent these same ideas to Council and the previous MDPS but was ignored. Mr Hutter asked me to send in the information I had.
My Feb 20 2025 e-mail to him is at the bottom of this article.
I was very gratified to hear at the June 23 2025 Public Services Committee that there are going to be some positive changes with transit. It seemed like they took some of my suggestions to heart.
Do I wish they went further? Of course! However, any progress is positive. Creating a bus riding culture means overcoming the car culture our city has.
One of the largest barriers to expanding transit services is overcoming the opposition to expanding transit services.
If they can make small improvements and show the increase in ridership, there will be less opposition to making bigger improvements.
Latest improvements
#1 Buses will run until 9pm on Saturdays. Currently the buses stop at 7pm on Saturdays and Sundays.
#2 There has been an issue with Crescent Heights transit being on schedule so they have started a pilot project to remedy that. This pilot project started last Thursday.
#3 They have created a Rec and Ride pass for teens ages 13-17. $50 gets them free transit all summer long as well as access to rec facilities such as Big Marble Go Centre, Crestwood and both YMCAs. This program goes from June 27 - Sept 5
#4 Service on Statutory Holidays - They are going to survey residents to see which three statutory holidays are the most desired.
Key dates:
June 28, 2025: First day of extended Saturday service
June 29, 2025: First day of Sunday service (Route 56)
July 30, 2025: Statutory holiday survey closes
August 2025: Survey results posted
Fall 2025: Top three holidays scheduled to begin service
February 20 2025 Email to Joseph Hutter
Greetings;
I wrote the following in 2021. The prices and costs have changed since then I am sure but the principles are still the same.
”I grew up in the Lower Mainland of the West Coast which had a wonderful transit system. The buses ran every half hour from 5 am - 3 am, hourly on Sundays and holidays. On Sundays, you could buy an all-day pass and go wherever you wanted. Every New Year’s Eve, the buses were free. I didn’t even get my driver’s license until I was 21, who needed one? The buses were safe, efficient, reliable, and economical.
I know we can improve our transit system here in Medicine Hat. Our residents, businesses, and visitors deserve it. The transit system here hasn’t improved for more than 30 years. I watch the buses go by and they are empty most of the time. That is proof of a broken system.
We need to create a bus-taking culture. Here's how we can do it:
Issue city bus passes to high school students
Have the buses run later on Friday and Saturday nights
Allow sales of all-day passes, this would especially appeal to touristsThe City has started doing this
Kiosks for payment of fares/passes by card
Not yet but we do have electronic payment on the bus
A Park and Ride Option for the Event Centre – traffic is crazy after events The City has started doing this.
Buses lined up after games/events
Who is the target market for transit services?
People who are too young to drive, people who don't want to drive, people who can't afford a car, people who want green alternatives, bicycle users who want to be able to take the bus to new trails (the buses are equipped with bike racks). They are the ones most likely to have jobs that require shifts outside the running hours. Our buses stop running at 10:45 pm, they should be running at least so people who work until 11 pm can take the bus home. In a perfect world, the buses would run until the bars shut down but until we create a bus-riding culture it will not be feasible. Running the buses later on Friday and Saturday nights would be a reasonable start.
More riders mean we can get more bus advertising. On-bus ads are nonexistent. Creating a bus culture means that when the City creates the riverfront development, people can take a bus downtown and parking needs will be less of an issue. Cars park at a mall or other large parking area and take a bus to the event centre decreasing gridlock after events. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
Why do I believe in bus passes for students?
Currently, the province pays $549 for each eligible child for busing, $54.90/month for ten months. A city bus pass for students costs $38.75/month, $387.50 for ten months. That is a savings of $161.50 per student. There are roughly 3000 high school students in Medicine Hat if you include the Catholic school system. If just 1000 of those students got bus passes, it would bring in $387,500/ year to the City and save the school district $161,500 per year.
Think of it. $387,500.
It would mean fewer school buses on the road leading to less congestion and emissions. Parents would not need to drive their teens around; the teens would have much more freedom.
Kingston Ontario did this in 2012 – they issued bus passes to high school students and increased their student ridership by 20 times. TWENTY times!“
Again, the above was written in 2021. I would add to that that I believe that council members and senior administration should be taking the bus and they should be seen to be taking the bus. In Medicine Hat there is a perception that only the poor people take the bus which is essentially correct, but as you pointed out in bigger centers, a lot of people use the bus to get around because it’s a pain to find parking and parking is expensive, etc.
Thanks for hearing me out, much appreciated.
Comments