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From this budget addendum
EMTSC.PNG
 
The budget is out for the EMTSC as part of their next meeting package. It shows a few interesting things:
  1. Opening day will be April 30, 2023
  2. regional routes as presented earlier on this thread
    1. That includes a YEG express service to downtown
    2. and a peak hour route from YEG to Millwoods via Beaumont
  3. local routes as unchanged from current operations
  4. Fare structure pretty much the same as exists in each of the municipalities for now
$25 million subsidy needed from member municipalities in 2023, increasing to
  • $10,305,656 from Edmonton (currently unfunded, I believe)
  • $9,279,798 from St. Albert
  • $1,384,327 from Leduc
  • $1,209,903 from Spruce Grove

 
Why was it that the regional transit commission is 100% focused on only regional connector routes?
Normally regional transit services operate all the routes in their region, and thus would take over for ETS, StAT, etc. Is it part of the long term goals? Was there significant resistance to it?
 
City of Edmonton council is resistant. You're right, I think ETS should be integrated but that's not happening yet.

Which means you have EMTSC planning to deploy rapid routes in just a few months in the city and the city funding studies to create nearly identical rapid routes. I suppose if that means improvements to bus lanes/priority on major streets, that's a good thing, but it seems to me it should be far better coordinated.
 
Without a fully integrated system it is a lot easier to unravel if one or more municipalities really sour on the idea.
 
Why was it that the regional transit commission is 100% focused on only regional connector routes?
Normally regional transit services operate all the routes in their region, and thus would take over for ETS, StAT, etc. Is it part of the long term goals? Was there significant resistance to it?
It will take over local operations in all member municipalities except for Edmonton. It was also supposed to take over some district connector routes iirc, and they were originally planning to recieve ownership of some assets, staff, etc. right out of the gate.

But like Brett said, the new Edmonton city council changed all of that. They were resistant to transferring any current ETS services over, which is why the proposed ones are pasted over existing ETS service. They also want to contribute less than the business case called for, which, according to the CEO, is why other municipalities are having to pay more than originally promised. The financial uncertainty also forced them to defer hiring more staff until Edmonton passes its budget and they know what they get (if anything), and they're also going to initially contract out service instead of taking transit staff and assets in house at the start of service.
 
I think the only hope could be having the Arc card for urban transit. You can use them on multiple systems.
 

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