|
Historically, there was once an inter-urban railway that operated between St. Albert and Calder in Edmonton. The service began in 1913 but on April 1, 1914 the storage barn was destroyed by fire and the service never resumed.
1950s / 60s - Several bus companies operated services from St. Albert, including Northland Arrow, Sunburst Bus Lines, Canadian Coachways and Western Bus Lines.
1970s - The Town of St. Albert assumed the responsibility for transit provision in 1974. Edmonton Transit System was contracted to operate 3 buses to Edmonton during peak hours (fare $0.50), carrying around 300 people daily. In 1976 the Town of St. Albert purchased 10 regular transit buses and commenced service to the U of A. Briggs Bus Lines provided local service using 8 yellow school buses, under contract.
1980s - On July 2, 1986 St. Albert Transit services began, following the construction of a transit garage in the Campbell Industrial Park. The City of St. Albert now owned and could administer, maintain and garage its fleet. Grey Goose Bus Lines were contracted to provide drivers for the service. At this time the bus fleet comprised 23 GMC 'New Look' transit buses, painted in the current red, blue and white livery.
1990s - St. Albert Transit was the first system in Western Canada to own and operate 18 metre long articulated (bendy) buses. St. Albert Transit was also the first system in Canada to operate Low Floor wheelchair-accessible buses on regular scheduled routes. Yellow school bus service on local routes ended in 1995. St. Albert Transit was contracted by the Town of Morinville to operate the Interlink service.
2000 - Significant route changes with the opening of the St. Albert Centre Exchange and extension of transit service to new subdivisions in the north.
2001 - The Village Transit Station moved to the current location on Gate Avenue and Grange Drive, incorporating a Greyhound Courier office and Park & Ride spaces for around 500 vehicles.
2004 - The new StAT logo and www.ridestat.ca website were introduced. St. Albert Transit (StAT) also celebrated reaching the milestone of 1 million passenger trips in a calendar year. Diversified Transportation were awarded the operating contract for the service.
2005 - St. Albert Transit achieved ISO 14001 registration, recognising an ongoing commitment to reduce environmental impacts and to promote the benefits of riding transit.
2006 - City Council approved the StAT Long Term Department Plan, setting out an evolutionary plan for the future of Transit Services in St. Albert for the next 15 years. An Idle-free policy was introduced for Transit Buses.
2007 - Transit service was introduced to Riel Business Park. Route changes were implemented in Downtown Edmonton to improve system reliability. A 3 year pilot U-Pass program commenced for students at U of A and full-time students at MacEwan (U-Pass is valid on StAT, ETS and Strathcona County Transit).
2008 - Following a rigourous reassessment audit, StAT successfully maintains ISO 14001 status.
Today - StAT currently operates 49 buses, see StATistics and Fleet for more details and system facts and figures. The fleet continues to grow in order to meet the travel needs of a growing city. Recent additions have included 13 x New Flyer 12 m transit buses and 7 New Flyer 18 m articulated buses. The fleet travels a total of 2 million kilometres and carries over 1.1 million riders annually.
Going Forward - As the City of St. Albert grows, transit will be growing and maturing with the Community. St. Albert Transit remains committed to providing the level of service that meets the needs of its customers and the citizens of the City. |
*Some files on this document require a PDF reader. 
|
