U of S students feel thrown under the bus with new transit routes

WATCH: The City of Saskatoon has recently made some changes to its bus routes, with some folks expressing concern over their struggles to access public transit.

The city of Saskatoon has recently imposed a series of changes to previously existing bus routes, in the hope of creating a more frequent and reliable bus schedule.

University of Saskatchewan (U of S) student Spencer Zimmerman, however, is concerned that the changes will negatively impact students.

“I think it’s a step in the wrong direction. And I’d like to see it either reverted or another change made, in order just to not leave anyone behind,” Zimmerman said.

Changes to the numbers 13 and 17 routes have affected those in Saskatoon’s Lawson Heights, Silverwood, and Avalon neighbourhoods. This prompted Zimmerman to create a petition, which has already gained over 300 signatures.

“Parking here can be an absolute nightmare. They charge a lot for it, reasonably so, there’s a high demand. But that means alternative modes need to be available, and transit is far and away the most efficient one,” Zimmerman said.

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The City of Saskatoon shared that these route alterations are part of a greater plan to increase the efficiency of transit routes across the city.

“We’re working through changes across the city, consolidating some bus routes and combining some things to offer better frequency and better service options for a lot of the riders,” Mike Moellenbeck, director of Saskatoon Transit, said.

Moellenbeck says he is aware of the concerns regarding these altered bus routes. While there are no plans to change the routes back in the immediate future, the director of transit expressed that the city is open to feedback in order to improve service to bus riders.

“With any kind of change, there’s going to be some impacts felt by individuals. There’s some people that had direct service from their location to the university... now there’s a transfer involved for some of these individuals. We’re monitoring these changes as they’re happening,” Moellenbeck said.

For the time being, Zimmerman has been biking and skateboarding to school. The third-year student says his concerns are increasing as colder months draw near.

“It’s pretty common for us to get -30. And then you have the wind chill and all that kind of stuff, and I think I can speak for a lot of people where they would rather take a longer, less frequent bus route if it meant not having to make transfers and spend even five more minutes standing outside in the cold,” Zimmerman said.