Calgary Transit facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Calgary Transit

Parent	City of Calgary Transportation Dept.
Founded	1909 in its current form, 1884 to 1894 for the original Calgary Transit system.
Service area	Calgary, Alberta
Service type	Bus and light rail
Routes	265 (147 regular, 116 school express, 2 LRT)
Stops	6,151
Stations	45 LRT stations
Fleet	1,101 buses 258 light rail vehicles
Daily ridership	382,800 (weekdays, Q1 2023)
Fuel type	Bus: Diesel, Gasoline, CNG LRT: Electric (600 V DC)
Director	Sharon Fleming

Calgary Transit is the main way people get around using public transit in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The city of Calgary owns and runs it. In 2019, over 100 million people rode Calgary Transit's buses and trains. It offers many ways to travel, including light rail trains (LRT), special fast buses called Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), and regular bus services.

How Calgary Transit Started

This 1947 image shows an older streetcar vehicle passing one of the new electric trolleybuses that replaced all the streetcars.

Calgary Transit began a long time ago. It started as the Calgary Street Railway on July 5, 1909. Back then, Calgary had about 30,000 people. The railway used twelve electric streetcars to move people around.

Over the next 30 years, the streetcar service grew, even during the Great Depression. In 1946, the company changed its name to Calgary Transit System. At this time, electric trolleybuses started to replace the old streetcars. Later, these electric trolley lines were also removed and replaced by diesel buses. In 1972, the system got its current name: Calgary Transit.

For many years, Calgary Transit had different types of bus services. There were regular routes, "Blue Arrow" routes with fewer stops, and "Express" routes for peak times. These different types of services have slowly changed. This happened as Calgary Transit added more CTrain lines and started its BRT service. The last Blue Arrow route stopped running in December 2019.

Older bus stop signs. The white sign was for regular routes, and the red sign for express routes.

The current styles of bus stop signs in Calgary. You can see signs for CTrain shuttles, MAX BRT, non-MAX BRT, and regular routes.

In 2012, Calgary Transit leaders shared a big 30-year plan called 'RouteAhead'. This plan aimed to make Calgary Transit even better for the future. Also in 2012, a special event happened. Craig Hardy became the one hundred millionth rider of the year. He received free transit for a whole year!

This chart shows how many people rode Calgary Transit each month from 2010 to September 2023.

The CTrain Light Rail System

Map of Calgary's Light Rail System

A CTrain at Crowfoot station, ready to take passengers.

A CTrain with its red and white design arriving at Anderson station.

On May 25, 1981, Calgary Transit became one of the first transit systems in North America to have a light rail system. This system is called the CTrain. Construction for the CTrain began in 1978. The first line, known as the Red Line (Route 201), ran from Anderson station in the south to 8th Street SW in Downtown Calgary.

Over the years, more CTrain lines and stations were added:

• On April 27, 1985, the Blue Line (Route 202) opened, going northeast from 8th Street SW to Whitehorn station.
• On September 4, 1987, a northwest line (part of Route 201) opened. This was just in time for the 1988 Winter Olympics. It ran from downtown to University station, near the University of Calgary.

Many more stations were added in the 1990s and 2000s. These extensions helped the CTrain reach more parts of the city. For example, the northwest line was extended to Brentwood station in 1990. New stations like Canyon Meadows and Fish Creek–Lacombe were added to the south line in 2001. Dalhousie station was added to the northwest line in 2003.

In 2004, Shawnessy and Somerset–Bridlewood stations opened on the south line. In 2007, the northeast line was extended to McKnight–Westwinds station. Crowfoot station was added to the northwest line in 2009.

On August 27, 2012, Martindale and Saddletowne stations were added to the northeast line. This brought the total number of stations on that line to 10.

A big expansion happened on December 10, 2012, when the West LRT opened. This added six new stations and extended the Blue Line (Route 202). After this, the CTrain system became about 56.2 kilometers (35 miles) long.

Calgary Transit has plans for future CTrain lines, including the Green Line. This line will run from the north to the southeast of the city. Construction for parts of the Green Line began in 2018.

In 2007, Calgary Transit introduced a new red and white design for its CTrains and buses.

On February 18, 2009, Calgary Transit celebrated its 1,000,000,000th rider! A passenger named Shelly Xiao was chosen randomly and celebrated at a CTrain station.

Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) and Future Plans

An articulated bus, which is a longer bus that can carry more passengers.

On August 30, 2004, Calgary Transit started a bus rapid transit (BRT) line. BRT lines are designed to be faster than regular buses. They often have fewer stops and can get priority at traffic lights. At first, regular buses were used, but later, longer "articulated buses" (buses that bend in the middle) were added.

The first BRT route was Route 301, serving the northern and western parts of the city. Later, Route 305 was added in 2008, and Route 302 in 2009. These BRT routes were seen as a step towards future CTrain lines.

The modern BRT system is much better than the older "Blue Arrow" service. BRT buses get priority at traffic signals, have better waiting areas for passengers, and offer faster travel times.

In 2009, the city approved the Calgary Transportation Plan (CTP). This plan identified over 20 areas that would be part of Calgary's future main transit network. These ideas led to the Bus Rapid Transit Network Plan in 2011, which planned for 11 new BRT projects.

Some of these plans included:

• The Airport BRT (Route 300), which started in 2011, connecting downtown with Calgary International Airport.
• The Southwest Crosstown BRT (Route 306), which started in 2012, connecting Westbrook Station to Heritage Station.

In December 2012, the 'RouteAhead Plan' was approved. This plan outlined major transit projects for the next 30 years. It highlighted key BRT routes like the Southwest Transitway and the 17 Avenue SE Transitway.

On November 19, 2018, Calgary's BRT network got a big update. Three new lines were introduced under the "MAX" brand:

• MAX Orange (Route 303): Connects Brentwood Station with Saddletowne Station.
• MAX Teal (Route 306): Connects Westbrook Station with Douglas Glen Transit Hub.
• MAX Purple (Route 307): Connects Downtown with East Hills, using a special dedicated lane. This was the first service in Calgary to have its own transitway.

Proposed, planned, and under construction transit projects for Calgary's future rapid transit network.

In November 2019, the Southwest MAX line, renamed MAX Yellow, opened. It is the second bus service in Calgary to use a dedicated transitway. This route runs from Downtown to Woodbine. When a bus has a special colour display, it shows the MAX route's colour along with its name.

Current Bus and Train Services

The NovaBus LFS CNG is one of the newest buses in Calgary Transit's fleet, featuring the updated red and white design.

Calgary Transit runs 147 regular bus routes and over 150 school or special routes. It uses over 1,000 buses. All these buses are low floor and can be used by people in wheelchairs. Most also have bicycle racks for bikes. The buses include models like the New Flyer D40LF and the Nova Bus LFS. There are also longer, 60-foot articulated buses. For local service with smaller buses, they use ARBOC Freedom vehicles.

The CTrain system uses different types of light rail vehicles (LRVs). These include the original Siemens–Duewag U2 cars, Siemens SD-160s, and Siemens S200s. Many of the older SD160s have been updated with air conditioning and the newer red and white design.

The CTrain and busy bus routes form the main part of the transit system. Many other bus routes connect to these main lines. CTrains and busy buses usually run every 5 to 30 minutes, from about 5 AM to 2 AM. Other bus routes run every 15 to 45 minutes. There are also special routes that only run during busy morning and evening rush hours.

Fares and How to Pay

Calgary Transit uses a single fare system. This means you pay one flat rate to ride any standard bus, BRT, or CTrain. As of January 2024, an adult single fare is $3.70, and for youth, it's $2.50. Children under 12 can ride for free!

You can buy books of 10 tickets. Monthly passes are also available. A youth monthly pass costs $82.00, and an adult pass costs $115.00. Seniors (65 and over) can buy a yearly pass for $154.50. This pass is valid from July 1 to June 30 of the next year.

Sometimes, sponsors pay for free travel across the network for a day, like on New Year's Eve. There's also a Free Fare Zone downtown on 7th Avenue, where travel between all CTrain stations is free.

If you need to switch from one bus or train to another, you need proof of your fare. This could be a transfer ticket from a bus or proof of payment from the CTrain. Your fare is valid for 90 minutes, allowing you to transfer and even make stopovers. Fare inspectors check tickets on the CTrain.

Many post-secondary schools in Calgary offer a Universal Pass (U-Pass) program. Students pay for this pass as part of their school fees, and it lets them use transit.

MyFare App

In summer 2020, Calgary Transit launched its MyFare app for phones. You can download the app from app stores. It lets you buy most types of transit tickets and passes using a debit or credit card.

Once you activate a ticket in the app, it's valid for a certain time. You show your phone to a reader on buses, or CTrain inspectors can scan it.

Calgary Transit Facilities

Calgary Transit has six main buildings where they store and fix buses and trains. These places also manage different parts of the transit system:

• Spring Gardens Administrative Building/Garage: Stores buses, has offices, and shops for repairs and training.
• Victoria Park Garage: Stores buses, has a call center, and is where bus and train operations are controlled.
• Anderson Garage: Stores buses and trains, and has shops for their maintenance and repairs.
• Haysboro LRV Storage Site: Used for storing light rail vehicles (LRVs).
• Oliver Bowen Maintenance Facility: Stores LRVs and performs light and heavy maintenance on them.
• Stoney Garage: Stores buses that run on natural gas (CNG) and has a fueling station for them.

Public Safety and Enforcement

The Calgary Transit Public Safety and Enforcement Section (PS&E) helps keep everyone safe on Calgary Transit. It started in 1981. The officers in this unit are called "peace officers" and have special powers to enforce laws on transit property.

What PS&E Officers Do

The main job of a Calgary Transit peace officer is to protect people using the transit system, employees, and transit property. They respond to calls for help from customers and staff. They can arrest people who are breaking laws on or near Calgary Transit buses, trains, or stations.

They also teach the public about safety, patrol the transit system regularly, help customers, and give out tickets for rule breaking.

PS&E peace officers can enforce many laws, including parts of the Criminal Code of Canada and various provincial laws that apply to transit property. They work closely with the Calgary Police Service. They can even arrest people with outstanding warrants and take them to court.

Currently, there are 140 peace officers in the PS&E unit. All officers carry handcuffs, pepper spray, batons, and wear protective vests. In 2009, a new unit of eight officers on mountain bikes was created to patrol the system.

Commuter Rail History

Calgary Transit tried a commuter train service for a short time in 1996. This service had one line that ran from 162 Avenue SW to Anderson station. At Anderson, people could switch to the CTrain. This service was free and ran every 20 minutes during busy morning and evening times. About 800 people used it each day.

The city used existing freight train tracks for this service. They used special Siemens RegioSprinter trains that could go up to 120 kilometers per hour. The train could cover the 7 kilometers in just a few minutes. In the end, the city decided not to make this a permanent service. Later, the CTrain system was extended along the same path, adding more stations and regular service.

In recent years, there have been talks about adding commuter train service to nearby towns like Airdrie, Cochrane, and Okotoks. However, no firm plans have been made yet.