Night Ride – a late night bus service on Whyte Avenue – is rolling ahead starting January 6, 2012. The three-month pilot will run until April 14, 2012 on Friday and Saturday nights from 1:30am to approximately 3:30am.
Bus service will be available every 12 minutes along Whyte Avenue (westbound only) to the University and Southgate Transit Centre with additional stops along 51 Avenue to Gateway Boulevard before the buses head back to Whyte Avenue.
“The pilot is intended to provide a quick and safe late night transportation option for employees and patrons of the Whyte Avenue area,” says Angela Turner, Program Manager for Responsible Hospitality Edmonton. The service is also intended to help alleviate congestion on Whyte Avenue at closing time.
Passengers can disembark anywhere along the route and can use the stop-on-request service. Survey results from September’s public consultation with area residents and businesses suggest the majority of passengers will get off along the route. Remaining passengers will then be able to take advantage of a taxi stand at Southgate Transit Centre to get to their final destination or arrange pick-up by a friend or family member.
The use of the Night Ride bus by residents from Edmonton’s south side also means more taxis will be available on Whyte Avenue for residents going in other directions.
Turner says last September’s research found 65% of respondents either strongly supported or supported the pilot. “We also discovered that 77% of respondents support late night transit in the city and that a majority indicate if a service was available, they were likely to use it.”
During the pilot development, communities around the Whyte Avenue area, Southgate Transit Centre, and the Old Strathcona Business Association were consulted.
The Night Ride pilot will be evaluated with preliminary findings included in a report going to City Council in the spring.
Additional information on the pilot is available at www.edmonton.ca/nightride. Citizens can also call 311 or email nightride@edmonton.ca with questions or comments.
