Seniors who use on-demand transit will be getting new stops and another way to pay by next year. Edmonton’s on-demand service was first created in 2021 during a mass route overhaul to service areas that didn’t have enough riders to justify a traditional bus route, but still required transit. Requests for pickup in eligible areas can be made using the Edmonton On Demand Transit app. Those buses currently only stop at a few designated areas other than transit centres. Come next April, those buses will begin stopping at select shopping centres, libraries and rec centres. Passengers in areas with a high concentration of seniors’ homes – Jasper Place, Capilano and Wîhkwêntôwin – will be the test run for additional stops in the on-demand system. “We’re adding those stops that they’ve been asking for as a new way for them to access the city and in turn, helping them save on cost. For many of those seniors, they would pay for a cab to go get their groceries … This is a massive increase of affordability for seniors,” Edmonton Mayor Andrew Knack said of the program’s projected expansion. Edmonton Transit Service also plans to install Arc Card readers on smaller buses that would typically have passengers pay their fare when they get off at a transit centre.
