On-demand transit to launch in 6 southwest Calgary communities

Six communities in southwest Calgary will see existing bus routes replaced with a new on-demand service starting Oct. 13.

People who live in the area south of Bow Trail and west of Sarcee Trail will be able to book a ride through an app or by calling Calgary Transit.

"Instead of going out to a stop and waiting for a bus to come, you'll book a ride when you're looking for it," said Amanda Bradley with Calgary Transit.

"So you'll use the app or you can call our call centre and you'll just let them know where you're starting, where you're going and what time you want to go, and the app will create a route for you and let you know what time to wait and where."

The service will cover only travel within the six communities and to the 69th Street CTrain station. The on-demand servicewill run for a year.

Calgary Transit says it will use its own shuttles and drivers for the service, unlike a pilot project in two northern communities using private vans.

It says the affected routes had low ridership, even before the current pandemic.