Brody Langager
Saskatoon StarPhoenix
Zero-emission buses aren’t financially feasible for Saskatoon Transit in the short term or medium term.
That’s the assessment from the Canadian Urban Transit Research and Innovation Consortium (CUTRIC), which was one of several reports to Wednesday’s transportation committee meeting.
RED LIGHT FOR ZERO-EMISSION BUSES
A transition to zero-emission buses is one requirement for cities to obtain some federal funding, but after the CUTRIC assessment, city administration recommended that the committee ask for an exemption.
The report said converting the Saskatoon Transit fleet to electric would see greenhouse gas emissions decrease by 10.1 per cent, but noted that Saskatchewan’s power grid relies heavily on fossil fuels.
Hydrogen fuel cell electric buses were also considered within the report, but cost was a significant factor.
Compared to the base scenario of having diesel buses, life-cycle costs for electric buses would increase by $217.3 million, and for hydrogen fuel-cell electric buses costs would increase by $843.2 million.
City administration said the financial costs weren’t justified by the decrease of GHG emissions, and that there were 40 initiatives identified through the climate action plan that the city could proceed with to reduce emissions. They added that they would continue to monitor the electric-bus landscape.
LINK CONCEPT CHANGES ALONG COLLEGE DRIVE
Several revisions were outlined for the College Drive Link corridor concept after further engineering work and engagement took place.
A report to committee highlighted many aspects of the design, including one eastbound and one westbound centre-running bus lane with adjacent traffic flow.
Link platforms for the eastbound and westbound buses will be located at College Drive and Munroe Avenue, College Drive and Cumberland Avenue, and College Drive and Campus Drive/Field House Road.
Existing curbside local transit stops will be removed, the report said, but it was noted that some local route buses may still travel on the College Drive traffic lanes.
Discussed changes also include adding a crosswalk at College Drive and Hospital Drive/University Drive, removing a crosswalk at Bottomley Avenue and College Drive, and removal of the dual left turn at Campus Drive/ Field House Road and College Drive, and removing the pedestrian overpass between Cumberland Avenue and Campus Drive to replace it with an at-grade pedestrian crossing, just to name a few.
Sheliza Kelts, the Bus Rapid Transit (Link) Transportation Section manager, said they had five different open houses at different times of the day for the public to see the plan.
Cary Tarasoff spoke at the meeting to raise concerns about the length that vehicles would have to go to make a left-hand turn at some of these intersections. He said pedestrians would also have a long distance to travel at crosswalks as well.
Jay Magus, the city’s director of transportation, said any pedestrian crossing created will be safe, and that each pedestrian crossing is a unique situation.
Coun. Randy Donauer asked if there were changes in cost with the changes in the concept plans.
“You’re absolutely right, we need a refined cost estimate,” Kelts said, adding they are currently still on target.
Coun. Robert Pearce asked about the removal of the pedestrian overpass, wondering what constituted that decision.
Kelts said they wanted to make an at-grade pedestrian crossing that was more accessible, noting that the ramps were steep, and this was in line with what stakeholders at the University of Saskatchewan were looking for as well.
UPDATE ON LINK CONSTRUCTION
Another report regarding the Link bus system gave a project update, saying detailed design, procurement and construction is underway.
The new bus service aims to be in service by the summer of 2028.
Construction on eight station platforms began in September 2024, and 44 Link station platforms are listed as part of the 2025 construction season. Twenty-six station platforms will be built in 2026, and 14 are expected for 2027.
The shelter, lighting and information display boards will be constructed in 2026, with that work continuing into 2028.
More buses are also on their way — 10 buses delivered in 2024, another 20 later in 2025, and 21 currently in tender for 2026. Funding is also in place for buses to be tendered in 2026 and delivered in 2027.
MORE PEOPLE ARE TAKING THE BUS
There was a seven per cent increase in ridership compared to 2023, with buses used 13.1 million times, according to Saskatoon Transit’s 2024 annual report.
The report said this contributed to almost a 14 per cent increase in fare revenue.
Data was also given regarding Access Transit, noting there have been an increase in trip requests, as well as an increase in denial rates.
Additional information wasn’t given on how many additional trip requests there were, but the report said there was only capacity to provide less than one per cent more rides, and that the denial rate rose to 9.9 per cent in 2024 from the 7.7 per cent reported in 2023.
City administration said there is work underway to address this higher denial rate, adding improvements are being looked at for scheduling and booking software, as well as a review of service levels and a staffing and resource plan.
