COVID-19 has fewer people riding transit and this could be good for transit systems Bookmark Please log in to listen to this story. Also available in French and Mandarin. Log In Create Free Account
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DARRYL DYCK/The Globe and Mail
Rush hour on transit routes across the country will likely never be the same after the pandemic, and transit planners fear that past gains in ridership will be lost forever.
But there may also be an opportunity to create more efficient transit services for everyone, say planners and analysts who are spending considerable time trying to figure out the postpandemic future.
Western Canada: Transit systems have taken a huge hit from the pandemic – and some of that impact could be permanent theglobeandmail.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from theglobeandmail.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Transit union says excessive overtime, overloaded buses signal need for change
The union boss representing Calgary transit workers says too much overtime, too many overloaded buses and no shows are all signs that more drivers need to return to work after getting laid off last spring due to the pandemic.
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John Othen’s family doesn’t know how he caught COVID-19.
The 73-year-old Calgary bus driver of more than four decades spent weeks in hospital late last year after testing positive. The family was relieved when he was well enough to come home just before Christmas, but he didn’t fully recover.
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Try refreshing your browser, or A year of unrelenting stress and anxiety for Calgary s transit drivers as pandemic drags on Back to video
A few weeks later, he had to be taken to hospital again, and he died of COVID complications on Jan. 14.
Busier routes to remain focus for road crews after snowstorm, city says
The city will begin clearing Priority 2 routes or roads that see 5,000 to 19,000 vehicles a day, such as Kensington Road and Acadia Drive after high-volume routes are completed later in the day.
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City hopes to tackle Priority 2 routes later Wednesday as city reminds drivers to adjust to conditions
CBC News ·
Posted: Dec 23, 2020 11:39 AM MT | Last Updated: December 23, 2020
A city bus gets stuck in the snow at the Somerset Loop on Tuesday, after a massive snowstorm piled up to 40 centimetres of snow on Calgary.(Kyle Heth/Twitter)