If you have ever wanted to make decisions related to public transportation in Lethbridge, the Transit Advisory Committee might be for you.
The City of Lethbridge is recruiting members for the group, which will make recommendations for fixed route and Access-A-Ride services.
Darwin Juell, general manager of transit and transportation, says the committee will be split into two groups, with one focusing on fixed route service, and the other focusing on Access-A-Ride service.
The City is looking to bring in roughly 24 members, with up to 12 in each group.
Juell explains that Lethbridge previously had a committee like this, from 2016 to 2021, but it went on a hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Now, we want to resurrect the Transit Advisory Committee, basically to get feedback on our current transit and our para-transit system,” he says.
“We want to have representation from all different forms of travel, so hopefully they’re familiar with transit but [are in] different demographic groups, different mobility groups.”
TRANSIT GROWTH
Juell notes fixed route service in Lethbridge is “growing immensely”.
“We [saw a] five per cent increase in the first quarter of 2025. We [saw a] 10 per cent increase [in] the second quarter of 2025, so we’re growing hugely and that’s putting pressure on our buses,” he says.
“We’ve now added peak hour buses for the morning in [route] number 1 and number 2 and in September … for university start … there’s going to be a peak afternoon bus for the number 2 going to the university down to Southgate, so we’re trying to accommodate the increased traffic, the increased transit ridership, all within our current operating budget, just by adding these peak buses.”
“We also want to hear from the public on where else we can improve, where the service might not be as frequent as they would like or maybe the buses run only until 7 o’clock and they want to keep it longer,” Juell adds.
He explains that generally, buses operate from 6 a.m. to midnight, with an on-demand service supplementing other buses that end at 7 p.m.
READ MORE: Lethbridge Transit updates routes to better serve growing neighbourhoods
Juell notes the transit department has regular meetings with agencies like Alberta Health Services and local post-secondaries, but getting a larger group of community members who have different needs and perspectives will be beneficial.
“They can hear from each other [about] what works for other groups or what doesn’t work for these different groups, and they also hear other people’s perspectives,” he remarks.
“We’re trying to accommodate all groups with all needs on Lethbridge Transit.”
Juell says the plan for the Transit Advisory Committee is to hold quarterly meetings, so roughly three to four per year. “We may have one large meeting with both groups, or we may have two separate meetings,” he adds.
Those interested in joining can fill out an application form online. Printed forms can be dropped off at the Downtown Park ‘n Ride transit terminal.
Applications are open until September 30, 2025.
