Increased Calgary Transit ticket transfer window would cost $2M: report

A report from the City of Calgary administration suggests a $2 million yearly loss would occur should the transit transfer window increase to 120 minutes.

Set to be presented to city council on Tuesday, the report was made following a motion to see the benefits of increasing the 90-minute transfer window to 120 minutes.

After the city used data from the Calgary Transit mobile app to look at how frequently transit riders purchased a ticket after 90 minutes had passed, it revealed that less than two per cent of customers do so.

Customers also provided feedback via 311 to extend the valid time for transfers. Only 22 requests were made between March 2022 and 2026, amounting to about six per year.

In total, the customers this would benefit represent 500,000 trips a year, or around 0.5 per cent of all Calgary transit trips. The report doesn’t include data from analog ticket purchases.

“Extending the transfer window from 90 to 120 minutes is a practical improvement that enhances the customer experience and perception of fare value,” the report reads. “However, customer demand for this change is low, and the foregone fare revenue will increase in future years.”

Olivia Walrond, a weekly transit user, says the change would ultimately be a boon for the entire city.

“I think it would be beneficial for everybody, just to have even like a small bit of time extra just to be able to get to where they want to go in time,” she said.

The city administration report says that while transit riders used 311 to request increased transfer time, more riders wanted increased service and reliability.

Walrond says the transfer window isn’t usually an issue, but has been a pickle a few times, adding that increased service would also be nice.

“Maybe if the trains run a bit longer on certain days, I think that would be better, but also having the longer times would work out,” she said.

Mike King, another transit rider, says he has an annual pass, so the transfer window doesn’t apply to him, and that he’s in favour of the increase.

“I think we should encourage more people to use transit, so if that would do it, that would be a good investment, I’d think,” he said.

King adds that the overall service is adequate.

Alternatively, John Fernandes says the change isn’t necessary, and it comes down to planning.

“It’s good what it is,” he said. “One and a half hours — 90 minutes. So if you plan ahead of time, you should be good for 90 minutes.”

The report says that if the recommendation is approved without additional funding, it will lead to “further erosion of Calgary Transit’s fare revenue,” which includes pressures from the 12 and under free, the Low Income Transit Pass, and fare evasion.

It could also result in eliminating new service planned for September 2026.