Calgary HandiBus now on Calgary Transit team

This week, we're celebrating a history-making moment by welcoming Calgary HandiBus to the Calgary Transit team.

The transition has been in the works since an independent study found that the HandiBus funding model was no longer viable as accessible transportation continues to grow.

Earlier this year, The City and ATU Local 583 agreed to have Calgary Transit take on the operations for accessible transit service previously provided by HandiBus for the past 40 years.

"We're excited to have them join our team," said Calgary Transit Director Doug Morgan. "They have customer service skills that we want to take advantage of and there's real benefit in bringing the two services together to learn from each other."

It took a lot of hard work to make the transition smooth, but customers should see no change to the efficient, courteous service they rely on.

"They've been delivering awesome service helping people who need it the most. They make living in Calgary better for many people. They make a big difference," said Doug Morgan.

Calgary Transit now 100% accessible

Calgary Transit has retired the last high-floor bus in the fleet, making the system 100% accessible.

The entire fleet of 1,100 buses has been transitioned to low-floor buses that allow a ramp to be lowered to make it easier for customers with mobility issues to board the bus.

Barry Lindeman is an advocate for people with disabilities and uses a wheelchair himself. He said it’s a big step forward for Calgary Transit.

“Now you know, every route, every stop (you’re) going to be able to get on,” he said. “I think it’s great...You know you can get everywhere from the Saddledome to COP.”

This is a milestone event for Calgary Transit as they work to ensure the transit system can be used by all Calgarians, whether by bus or CTrain, or through Access Calgary — a division of Calgary Transit that provides transportation for people with disabilities who cannot use regular transit service.

“It’s very important for us,” said Russell Davies, Manager Transit Fleet. “About four years ago, we made a commitment to convert our whole fleet over by 2015 so we’ve done this a year ahead of schedule.”

Calgary Transit has been moving towards this goal since 1993 and has been careful to maximize the value of older buses, while keeping in mind the accessibility needs of Calgarians. The last 117 high-floor buses in the fleet had a combined mileage of 108 million kilometres.