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Originally published by on Pacific Western on June 5th, 2023.
When the City of Spruce Grove converted its fixed-route service to an On Demand system in May 2021, it moved local transit forward into a bright transportation future and never looked back. After the switch, Spruce Grove Transit saw tremendous growth in ridership, shared rides and customer satisfaction.
However, when the City decided to expand the service in January 2023 to include the neighbouring areas of Stony Plain, Parkland Village and Acheson Business Park, there were legitimate questions about whether the system could handle covering a larger, less populated area. Those questions have been answered – with a resounding YES.
“Stony Plain switching to the On Demand system was embraced by the riders immediately, which was beyond our expectations,” said Angela Otte, PWTransit’s Operations Manager for Spruce Grove and Stony Plain. “Our ridership went up 20%, and our kilometres travelled increased by 8,000 kilometres. And every month since then, we’ve moved more and more people. On Demand has been very successful here – we can get to more people than what a fixed service could do here.”
What is most impressive is how the system has seamlessly expanded its geographical area. From the westernmost point of the new service in Stony Plain to the farthest east in Acheson, a passenger could travel over 20 kilometres – all for a $3.00 fare. With four vehicles covering the region during peak periods, riders in any of the three communities have easy access to all of them.
“That’s the beauty of the system. We’ve got a Stony Plain bus, we’ve got two buses for Spruce Grove, and we’ve got a bus for Parkland Village/Acheson. But all four of those buses can go anywhere in those three communities. The communities work well together, and the service runs beautifully, so we don’t have one community that suffers over the other.”
Bill Sabey is the Transit Manager at Spruce Grove Transit, and he agrees that the expansion has gone better than expected, particularly in the Stony Plain community.
”Stony Plain had a fixed route before that served just a portion of the community, and it was not very frequent. This just opened everything up. Stony Plain now has full coverage, as opposed to covering just a small portion of the town. The travel times aren’t as restrictive as they were, so it’s gone very well for them.”
The Acheson Business Park has also seen a bump in ridership from the previous fixed commuter route from Edmonton. That has resulted in the area becoming more integrated into the economies of Stony Plain and Spruce Grove. The expansion to four vehicles has also been a big benefit to Spruce Grove residents, as the service level has increased for the city.
The Acheson Business Park has also seen a bump in ridership from the previous fixed commuter route from Edmonton. That has resulted in the area becoming more integrated into the economies of Stony Plain and Spruce Grove. The expansion to four vehicles has also been a big benefit to Spruce Grove residents, as the service level has increased for the city.
“It’s opened up all kinds of synergies between Stony Plain and Spruce Grove, having those additional buses in play. There’s more back and forth between the two communities than there was with the fixed route that there was before. It’s definitely a win for Stony Plain residents that we expanded there, but it hasn’t taken anything away from Spruce Grove – in fact, it’s added better service for them.”
Could the Spruce Grove Expansion be a Model for Other Bedroom Communities?
On Demand Transit has worked well in multiple areas surrounding larger cities, but combining multiple communities under one umbrella is something few jurisdictions have attempted. Sabey thinks the Spruce Grove model could work in similar-sized communities across Canada.
“It’s a really good model for similar communities – when you look at the coverage from east to west, it is actually a huge area. It’s almost as wide as the city of Edmonton itself, and it pulls together three or four different areas that were trying to have transit service on their own with a fixed route. The integration of those adjacent areas all into one system has seen exponential benefits. There is so much inter-municipal travel being facilitated because it’s all incorporated into one big system. It’s a very good model.”
The RideCo On Demand app allows passengers to rate their rides, and Spruce Grove Transit has seen a lot of 5-star ratings registered since the expansion rolled out in January. The app also features the ability to leave customer comments. One regular rider who recently lost her phone on the bus has been very impressed with the overall service.
“I worked 15 hours yesterday, tired and down, thinking I lost my phone. I arrived home last night with it on the table! So happy! Not only that you helped me save money with my travelling to work, but also because you make my life easier and fruitful by being able to travel anywhere in Stony Plain and Spruce Grove. I work as a healthcare aide, and it’s taking a toll, but just being able to travel within my budget is a tremendous help. Shout out to all your awesome drivers, especially to JOE! They are all amazing!”
PWTransit Operations Manager Angela Otte has seen the service grow each month and agrees that residents in all four communities have really taken a shine to the new On Demand service.
“We’re all shocked at how fast people have embraced this system and how it really took off this year. We made the change in January, and it’s been wonderful. This is the way to go. On Demand is the way to move people.”
