Whyte Ave. late-night bus project delayed

The city has postponed the September rollout of weekend late night bus service along Whyte Avenue until communities affected by the pilot project can be consulted.

Under the project, a bus would make 10 trips along Whyte Avenue between 1:30 a.m. to 3:30 a.m. to clear people out of the area as the bars close down. The route would travel to the University of Alberta before terminating at the Southgate Transit Centre.

The proposal was announced last week and caught residents who live near Southgate station by surprise.

The city now plans to hold an information session, meet with key stakeholders and solicit input online. Whyte Avenue businesses, the University of Alberta, Edmonton Police and members of the taxi industry were already consulted on the plan.

The city believes only about 25 per cent of passengers on the bus will take it as far as Southgate, leaving around 12 people looking for taxis to take them the rest of the way home.