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ETS Bus and General Transit Improvements

Plus they lost huge ridership when the LRT was down as well - was it one day or two? Buses probably offset those losses somewhat, but still had to be down significantly.
 
ETSAB:

“In January 2026, ETS recorded 5.2 million riders, representing a nearly 4% decrease from January 2025. Bus ridership followed a similar trend, decreasing roughly 3.5% from 3.73 million in 2025 to 3.60 million in 2026. The Valley Line Southeast (VLSE) recorded 245,619 riders, a 3.6% decrease from the 254,934 riders carried in January 2025.”
 
thommyjo said:
Yeah, what. Wouldn’t that be a huge part of it? I can’t imagine how anything else would cause that size of drop…
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Extremely disappointed that it wasn’t even mentioned as a top cause. We get occasional reductions here and there, but to not mention a big anomaly like that seems like a massive journalistic oversight at best, or journalistic malpractice at worst.
 
Kosy123 said:
Kinda weird they didn't really mention the elephant in the room, which was the teacher's strike.
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I'm not surprised at all. Look at all of us here and on reddit, etc. talking about it. To them this is a great way to push clicks and make ad money.

It's becoming increasingly clear to me - especially after the unabashed disinformation and sensationalized coverage of the last municipal election - that traditional media is no longer expected to convey the news even somewhat accurately. Anything that gets people riled up is the goal no matter what the topic.

Consider the people you know who still read a physical newspaper or actually sit down to watch the local or national news. What are their ages? What are their political leanings? Why would any news outlet publish stories that might piss that demographic off and get them to choose from any number of free options? Better to instead publish what those people want to hear so that they feel good about themselves and keep coming back.

I never really thought that I'd sound so much like a tinfoil hat-wearing crackpot, but here we are!
 
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YEG Bus Rider said:
ETSAB:

“In January 2026, ETS recorded 5.2 million riders, representing a nearly 4% decrease from January 2025. Bus ridership followed a similar trend, decreasing roughly 3.5% from 3.73 million in 2025 to 3.60 million in 2026. The Valley Line Southeast (VLSE) recorded 245,619 riders, a 3.6% decrease from the 254,934 riders carried in January 2025.”
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First 2 weeks of January half our bus stops were barely accessible if you were trying to use a stroller, mobility device, or were a less confident walker. Surely that drove decreases too. I was walking, biking, and driving less during this time too. Took transit once with a stroller and it was a nightmare
 
This memo was posted the other day: Update - Transit Peace Officer Hiring and Commissionaires Wind Down

This memo provides Council an update regarding the hiring of new Transit Peace Officers and the wind down of Commissionaire Security Guards. At the April 8/9, 2025 City Council meeting, City Council approved Administration’s recommendation in CO02718rev - Options to Further Enhance LRT Safety - Further Analysis to transition budget from Edmonton Transit Service (ETS) to the Community Standards Branch in order to shift the deployment of resources from contracted Commissionaire Security Guards to Transit Peace Officers as part of the ongoing transit safety plan. Transit Peace Officers have more enforcement authorities and tools available to use to maintain transit safety, including the ability to write tickets, issue fines and initiate arrests or detain individuals if necessary. In addition, the increase in Transit Peace Officers allows for increased proactive patrols and faster response times, making transit more welcoming for all users.

Since then, Administration has been working to hire the first wave of staff while winding down the use of Commissionaire Security Guards in transit facilities. As of August 1, 2025, 50 per cent of the Commissionaire Security Guards had been reduced, with the remaining 50 per cent coming to an end on January 18, 2026. As of January 1, 2026, the hiring for 21 staff has been completed and the Transit Peace Officers have been deployed in transit spaces:

● 15 new frontline Transit Peace Officers
● Two Transit Peace Officer Sergeants
● One Professional Standards Investigator
● One Public Information Officer II for Community Services Communications
● Two inspectors for Transit Peace Officers

The shift to Transit Peace Officers (TPOs) has also increased Community Outreach Transit Team (COTT) support, with eight outreach workers embedded in TPO patrol teams and a new 24/7 COTT coverage model for the transit network, in place by Q1 2026. As we move into 2026, Administration will undertake a number of steps to complete this transition:

● December 2025 to March 2026 - Second Hiring Wave of 15 Transit Peace Officers
● January 18, 2026 - last phase of Commissionaire Security Guards removed from transit facilities
● March to June 2026 - Onboarding and training of Transit Peace Officers
● June 30, 2026 - Peace Officer Graduation
● July to August 2026 - Field Training

Riders are being informed of this change through traditional and social media, information in transit spaces and the ETS Connect newsletter for transit riders. Until the full complement of Transit Peace Officers have been deployed in the summer, riders may notice fewer uniformed transit personnel in transit spaces. However, there are several other resources in place to help keep transit spaces safe and comfortable for riders. ETS Control Centre staff monitor more than 1,000 security cameras across the transit network 24 hours a day, and riders have several ways to report incidents and request help:

● Call 911 if someone is in immediate danger.
● Use the blue emergency phones and red emergency buttons to connect with ETS security personnel if illegal activity is observed, or someone is displaying threatening behaviour. When the button is activated, a surveillance camera automatically monitors and records the area.
● Call or text Transit Watch (780-442-4900, 24/7), and ETS security personnel will respond as quickly as possible to help address the concern and dispatch resources as needed.
● Call 211 to connect with the 24/7 Crisis Diversion team if someone is in distress, but not in immediate danger; for example, if someone outside is dressed inappropriately for the weather or is experiencing a mental health concern.
● Call 311 if a transit area needs cleanup, or if graffiti or vandalism is observed.

All 30 new officers will be in service by July 2026, bringing the total number of TPOs patrolling buses, LRT and transit stations to 126.
 
thommyjo said:
This cannot be true or they are literally sleeping 24/7.

0 proactive responses ever…
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I've been in the control centre, and the cameras aren't really intended for proactive responses. The transit system has more than four thousand security cameras (a staff member I spoke with estimated that the true number is over 7,000 since each new bus has at least three cameras), and the bus control centre (which handles security dispatch for both the bus and LRT branches) has less than a dozen security dispatchers on at any given time. The control centre has three (plus or minus one) large monitors that each show ~24 camera feeds at a time, and they rotate pretty quickly. They're obviously monitored proactively, but the cameras are more intended to help with situational awareness when reports come in, or TPOs request support.
Security Cameras.png
 
CplKlinger said:
I've been in the control centre, and the cameras aren't really intended for proactive responses. The transit system has more than four thousand security cameras (a staff member I spoke with estimated that the true number is over 7,000 since each new bus has at least three cameras), and the bus control centre (which handles security dispatch for both the bus and LRT branches) has less than a dozen security dispatchers on at any given time. The control centre has three (plus or minus one) large monitors that each show ~24 camera feeds at a time, and they rotate pretty quickly. They're obviously monitored proactively, but the cameras are more intended to help with situational awareness when reports come in, or TPOs request support.
View attachment 717611
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Seems like some proactive approaches could be taken to more closely monitor a few dozen camera feeds for key entrances and stations with increased safety issues. Then as soon as problems arise, they can dispatch transit peace officers.

The fact that there are 5+ people passed out and doing hard drugs for hours on end without any response at times is concerning. Crowd sourcing issues is fine for potholes and snow shoveling, but for safety and security we shouldn’t rely on citizens. How can WEM have a more proactive approach than ETS? (My bro worked at the mall and said they often had eyes on problem people as soon as they entered the mall and immediately moved security towards their direction.
 
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