How Edmonton can improve its public transit: A Montrealers perspective
By Kai Salzl on December 3, 2023
So I’m in a unique situation. I was born in Edmonton and I live here right now. However, I also used to live in Montreal for a little over 10 years. I moved back to Edmonton at the tail end of 2018 when I finished high school In Montreal. I only just got my license recently, so for a majority of my life I’ve been taking public transit. I have taken public transit in both Edmonton and Montreal for a sizable amount of time, so I believe I’m qualified enough to compare the two cities.
Right off the bat, Edmonton is worse, by far. Montreal has far more buses and they arrive on time more often, the train system is significantly faster and more convenient.
However…
These are two very different cities, besides downtown, Edmonton is much more spread out than Montreal. It’s almost impossible to get to certain areas without driving. Besides, Edmonton has been building new lines and expanding and these things take time. So what else can they do? Well, I believe there are a few huge changes they can make to improve it. While even with these changes it may not hold a candle to Montreal, I strongly believe they will at least make Edmonton public transit more bearable.
Arc Cards
I actually think Arc Cards are a great step forward for Edmonton transit. It certainly beats the archaic system we had before. However, Montreal has OPUS cards, which at the moment has a more convenient way to pay for it. To use an OPUS you simply pick it up at an office and you can use it as much as you want until it expires, much like a student bus pass here except it can be used by anyone. OPUS definitely has the edge for everyday citizens living in Montreal, but for tourists it’s a bit more complicated. If you’re just visiting Montreal for a week or two, you have to pay for a 5 day pass and a weekend pass, which is expensive.
This is where I think Arc cards have the edge. It’s much more convenient for tourists as all you need to get one is pay 6 dollars and then you can pay as much money for fares as you want depending on how long you’re in Edmonton for. It also beats waiting in an excruciating long line to get a new OPUS when it expires. If Edmonton can find a way to have some sort of “unlimited” Arc card, I think we’ll be in good shape.
Plastic/metal seats over cushions
This one is a personal peeve of mine. Edmonton, for the love of god, get rid of the cushioned seats. They’re fine on the fancy buses, but on trains they get dirty SO fast. I get it, it gets cold here, but the AC at the bottom of the seat keeps me warm just fine. It sucks that everytime I get on a ETS train I have to look around to find the seat that’s the least stained and disgusting.
Montreal has metal seats on every train. Edmonton has plastic seats on some of their trains too, and guess what? Sitting on them is a far more sanitary experience. ETS has deployed more people to clean the dirty trains, and they really can make their job easier by getting rid of the cushioned seats.
The worst part is, the new Valley Line LRT has cushioned sheets, and they’re LIGHT GREEN. Meaning that if a single person pees on it, it’s over. Have you learned nothing Edmonton?
Enforced Entrances
So it’s no secret at this point that there are little to no repercussions for entering an LRT station and not paying. Sure there’s the occasional security at some station but they are few and far between and most of the time they don’t check. There have been some times where I’ve entered the LRT without even having a pass on me. I believe this is one of the many reasons crime has risen on the LRT since 2020.
That’s not to say Montreal does not have its issues with crime and homelessness of its own. However there is a measure they take to ensure that people are least paying for their ride: metal rotator entrances:
This way you MUST have a valid OPUS or fare to enter the train. There is the occasional person that tries to jump over it, but in most stations they have a security guard at a kiosk that enforces it. In my opinion, now that Edmonton is transitioning to Arc Cards something like this can be a great way to ensure people don’t use transit without paying. I believe public transit is a privilege, not a right.
Conclusion
Overall, while obviously these methods may not make Edmonton’s public transit the best in the world. I truly believe they will improve it and make it more convenient. You can check out more of my rants and thoughts on NR92.
Image Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peel_station_%28Montreal_Metro%29