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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.
2009 - Construction began on a 5000
sq ft expansion to the StAT office.
This expansion allows for more work space, training rooms and a
drivers' lounge. Several new
marketing initiatives were launched to position StAT as a integral part
of the community. These
included eNotice, a
subscription-based service allowing riders to stay informed of detours
and other transit news, Learn-to-Ride, a trainning workshop for local
seniors and Free Local
Service on Saturdays, a summer program to encourage
local ridership on the weekends. Fifteen new buses were purchased,
including 6 articulated buses and 9 regular 12 metre buses, bringing the
fleet to a total of 55 buses.2010
- U- Pass was approved as an ongoing program by City council and the U
of A, MacEwan University and NAIT.
StAT's entire fleet is fully accessible with low-floor, ramp-equipped
buses. Bike racks were
installed on all regular transit buses allowing greater transportation
options to riders.
Today -
StAT currently operates 55 buses, see StATistics and
Fleet for
more details and system facts and figures. The
fleet travels a total of 2.2
million kilometres and carries over
1.25 million riders annually. StAT employes 21 permanent staff and Diversified Transportation Ltd provides us with 76 drivers and 7 support staff.
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.
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