Calgary transit launches trivia game show this summer

The Calgary Transit Trivia bus at the Saddletowne C-Train station in Calgary on Wednesday, Aug. 17, 2022. (Photo by Henna Saeed/ CityNews Calgary)

Posted Aug 17, 2022 5:36 pm.

Last Updated Aug 17, 2022 5:37 pm.

Calgary Transit launched a live trivia game show for transit riders around the city Wednesday.

The aptly titled Trivia Transit is held for transit riders where they can answer live quiz sessions and win a collection of prizes.

City of Calgary’s transit relations specialist Amanda Bradley says they are just trying to bring back a bit of fun to Calgary Transit.

“It gives customers an opportunity to connect with each other, since the Trivia Transit is actually a team activity, so they get to meet some people, connect, and then win some prizes.”

The trivia bus will be a fun option to get around the city, but they can still opt for a regularly scheduled bus if they are in a rush.

“We are going to have the bus go on various routes throughout the city. We will announce those routes each day on Twitter and it will be an unscheduled route, so you can choose to get on if you want to play, and if you don’t want to play you can just wait for your own bus,” Bradley said.

Calgary Transit also launched a Karaoke Bus in July of this year to bring some excitement to riders.

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Participants are asked ten questions, and after they answer a number of questions right, they get a prize.

While there are small prizes like socks and pens, the grand prize is a monthly transit pass that everyone can win.

Having been on the trivia bus, a young boy said, “It’s really worth your time. With all the questions, even if we got the questions wrong, you still learn some new things, and yeah we won some prizes. We only got three questions right, but that’s okay.”

A woman asks Calgary Transit riders questions inside the Calgary Transit Trivia bus in Calgary on Wednesday, Aug. 17, 2022. (Photo by Henna Saeed/ CityNews Calgary)

Calgary Transit has been trying to recover ridership and have tried in numerous ways, which drastically fell over the past couple of years due to the pandemic.

The ridership now sits at forty per cent of usual levels, and have not since fully recovered to pre-pandemic levels, according to Calgary Transit.

In March of this year, the City of Calgary launched a Welcome Back strategy by deploying more enforcement officers and security guards at stations and on trains in an effort to address safety concerns.

Calgary Transit also launched the Karaoke Bus to encourage riders to come back and use Calgary Transit, while also showing riders it can be a fun and safe place.

“Safety is a key component of Calgary Transit’s customer commitment and an important part of building a world-class transit system for our customers. As ridership continues to grow, we are committed to ensuring the transit system is safe and reliable,” said Will Fossen, superintendent of Calgary Transit Public Safety.