Saskatoon Transit Faces Ridership Crisis

Saskatoon Transit has seen a dramatic decrease in ridership, with over one million fewer rides taken last year compared to the previous year. This represents a nearly 15% drop, resulting in a loss of over $1 million in fare revenue. City officials attribute this decline to changing travel habits, increased safety concerns on buses, and a significant rise in fare evasion.

The rate of fare evasion has more than tripled since 2021, escalating from just above zero to 1.8% last year. Recorded instances of fare evasion surged from 41,923 in 2023 to 131,532 in the past year. Consequently, revenue lost due to fare evasion has exploded to $394,596 from $24,500 five years ago. Police are also increasing their presence on buses with nine new officers dedicated to transit issues.

In response, Saskatoon city hall is proposing significant changes to transit bylaws. These changes would mandate fare payment, introduce $50 fines, and allow for indefinite bans from transit services. Additionally, new behavioral rules will be implemented, prohibiting actions such as sleeping on buses and public indecency, extending existing city bylaws to buses.

The proposed bylaw changes, expected to take effect in September, come as the city prepares for its $262 million Link transit upgrade. This project includes new bus stations and dedicated bus lanes. Despite population growth, ridership has not recovered to pre-pandemic levels, remaining below the 9.6 million recorded in 2019.