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      On Demand

      Ondemand

      Transit on your schedule

      Calgary Transit On Demand is a new way to provide transit service to communities that currently don’t have traditional bus service.  The service allows customers to book travel as needed, to be picked up and dropped off at any of the existing stops in the community and other major locations (e.g. Westhills, 69 Street Station, grocery stores, large commercial areas, North Pointe transit hub and amenities).

      The service is available in the  Springbank Hill area (southwest communities of Aspen Woods, Christie Park, Strathcona Park, Signal Hill, Springbank Hill and Discovery Ridge), and the north communities of Carrington and Livingston.

      On Demand provides full service for these communities, the flexibility to send shuttles where they’re needed, and when - on your schedule.

      You can download the Calgary Transit On Demand app and set up your account any time that is convenient for you.

                      iOS: https://apps.apple.com/ca/app/calgary-transit-on-demand/id1469425337

                      Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.rideco.calgarytransit
       

      How it works

       

      Using the On Demand app:

      1: Enter your starting point and destination. Both must be in the West Calgary service area

      2: Select the date and time you want to ride. Trips can be planned up to five days in advance.

      3: Provide rider information (number of riders, adult/youth, wheelchair, etc.). The app will provide options for your trip, including the estimated time of arrival at your destination.

      4: Select the ride you’d like to take.

      5: Select your payment option (you can use any regular transit fare, including paper tickets or passes, or the My Fare mobile payment app).

      6: Tap Book Now to finalize your booking.

      7: You can view, change or cancel your booked trips in the My Trips section of the On Demand app.

      Booking an On Demand trip by phone:

      Call 403-262-1000. Make sure you are at your pick up location a couple of minutes before the pick-up time you were given. If you are not waiting at your stop at the beginning of the pick-up window, you may miss your bus.

      If you need to cancel or reschedule your trip, just call 403-262-1000.

      Taking your trip:

      The app will let you know where and when to wait for your ride, so you just have to make sure you leave yourself enough time to walk to your pick up location. If you’d like, you can use the map within the app to make sure you’re heading to the right spot.

      The app will allow you to see where your bus is and its estimated time of arrival at your pick-up location.

      Once your ride arrives, board the vehicle as usual, showing the operator your proof of fare.

      Booking an On Demand trip online:

      1: Visit http://book.calgarytransit.rideco.com and sign in or register for a new account.

      2: Select your community (if in the southwest, select "Calgary Southwest", if in the northwest, select "Carrington/Livington")

      3: Enter your starting point and destination. If in the southwest, both points must be in the Springbank Hill area. If in the northwest, both points must be in the Carrington/Livingston zone (which includes the North Pointe Bus Terminal and Country Hills Village Shopping Centre).

      4: Select the date and time you want to ride. Trips can be planned up to five days in advance.

      5: Provide rider information (number of riders, adult/youth, wheelchair, etc.). You’ll be given options for your trip, including the estimated time of arrival at your destination.

      6: Select the ride you’d like to take by clicking on the red button that indicates your fare for the trip.

      7: Select your payment option (you can use any regular transit fare, including paper tickets or passes, or the My Fare mobile payment app. If using My Fare, select “Pass”).

      8: Tap Book Now to finalize your booking.

      9: Head out to your pick up location, giving yourself enough time to get there before the beginning of your pick-up window. If you are not waiting at your stop at the beginning of rht epick-up window, you may miss your bus.

      10: Bringing children on board? Please review the rules for passengers under the age of 12 (scroll down to the "Children on board" section).

      11: You can view, change or cancel your booked trips in the My Rides section of the page.

       

       

      FAQs

      What can I expect for wait times and service?

      This is a shared transportation service. That means there may be up to ten customers in the vehicle at one time, and rides may not be direct because the driver may pick-up/drop-off other customers on the way.

      Once a ride is requested for pre-planned trips, we aim to arrive within 15-30 minutes. You’ll know in advance what time to wait for your ride.

      For last-minute bookings, you may wait up to 30 minutes, which is comparable to the wait today, depending on what time you go to a bus stop. Wait times will vary depending on the time of day you’d like to book your trip. During peak times there may not be a vehicle available for a last-minute booking for 30-60 minutes. In the middle of the day, the wait times will be shorter.

      For both pre-booked and last-minute trips, once you book a trip, the app will give you estimated times for pick-up and arrival at your destination. These times are estimates, and may change by up to six minutes. You will receive updates on arrival times in the app, and get a text message when your ride is close.

      If we’re unable to provide a ride within 60 minutes of your requested time, you’ll be notified that we can’t provide a trip at this time.

      When a ride is requested, you’ll be given a 10-minute pick-up window. If you have a smartphone with the app, you’ll be able to see where the bus is and where it is expected at the pick-up location. This means less waiting in the cold winter. However, please don’t be late (take a look at our no-show/cancellation information below).

      The maximum time the vehicle will wait for you at your requested pick-up location is one minute.

      No shows and cancellations

      To ensure our service runs as smoothly as possible, we’ve introduced a No-Show/Late Cancellation policy:

      Accounts will be reviewed based on:

      • High no-show rate (failing to board your ride without prior cancellation)
        • No-showing three or more times in your last 10 consecutive booked rides
           
      • High late cancellation rate (cancelling less than 60 minutes prior to your pick-up time)
        • Cancelling three or more times in your last 10 consecutive booked rides

      When an account is under review we will first contact the customer to get a better understanding of the situation, provide trip planning tips as required, and issue a warning. If the issue continues, Calgary Transit may suspend the account for up to two weeks.

      To improve service for everyone, we ask customers to:

      • Plan your trips well and allocate adequate time in between transfers
      • Book ONLY one trip and not multiple trips from point A to B
      • If you can’t make a trip, make sure you cancel it versus keeping the trip and not showing up
      • If you must cancel a trip, aim to cancel it at least 60 minutes prior to boarding

      How far in advance can I book a trip?

      You can book up to five days in advance, meaning you can book for all your trips for the work week (Monday to Friday) on Sunday.

      What about booking an unplanned ride?

      On Demand service should provide similar or better flexibility/spontaneity than fixed-route service. While pre-booking does require some planning in advance, our last-minute trip booking means that you don’t have to wait for the next scheduled bus to take a trip; instead you’ll book it as you need it.

      For example, if you usually take a bus with service every 40 minutes in non-peak times and you want to take a trip during the day but just miss the stop time at your stop, you’ll have to wait 40 minutes for the next bus. With On Demand, your wait time will be 15-30 minutes, and will likely take you on a more direct route to your destination, since it won’t have to follow a fixed route or stop at timepoints along the way.

      How will people without cell phones use the On Demand service?

      We know that not all of our customers have access to a smartphone, and so we will have an option to book a trip online at calgarytransit.rideco.com, or by phoning our call centre at 403-262-1000. Our customer service staff will be able to book the trip and let our customers know where and when to wait for their ride.

      What are On Demand's hours of operation?

      Springbank Hills (SW):

      • 6 a.m. to midnight on weekdays
      • 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekends

      Carrington/Livingston:

      • Monday to Friday: 5:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
      • Saturday: 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
      • Sundays and holidays: 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

      Vehicles operate between these hours only. Rides cannot be booked that would arrive or depart outside of service hours.

      How can you ensure reliability and predictability?

      The On Demand app will allow you to see exactly where your ride is while you wait, so you don’t have to worry that it has already come and gone or that it isn’t coming at all. Trips are planned by the app in advance, to take the fastest/best route for each trip or combination of trips. If there is a delay, you’ll get an update, so you always know what to expect.

      Can children take On Demand?

      Yes they can. Regular fares apply for youth taking transit.

      • In accordance with Alberta car seat guidelines, you are responsible for providing a car seat or booster seat for children under 18 kg (40 lbs.), or under 6 years of age in Carrington/Livingston.

      Groceries, luggage, bikes and pets

      • You can bring luggage or grocery bags on board, but they cannot be placed on seats if other passengers require them. 
      • You are responsible for loading/unloading your belongings.
      • Pets are allowed in a small carrier, which must fit in the back of the van. Service animals do not need to be in a carrier. There is no cost for pets.
      • There are currently no bike racks on vehicles and bikes are not permitted in vehicles, except for folding bikes folded in a bag.

      Accessible service (wheelchairs, mobility aids, etc.)

      Carrington/Livingston:
      • An accessible van that accommodates a wheelchair is available. There is an option to select this service when booking a ride.
      • As with regular public transit service, the driver does not assist you in entering or exiting the vehicle, or from door-to-door.
      • If you require door-to-door accessible transit service, please contact Calgary Transit Access 

      Springbank Hill:

      • All vehicles are accessible.

      Will I need to transfer if I use On Demand transit?

      This will depend on your origin and destination. If you’re traveling within the service area only, you won’t have to transfer; your On Demand vehicle will take you to your destination. If you’re traveling beyond the service area, you will need to transfer (e.g. to the CTrain).

      Pick-up and drop-off points

      In Springbank Hill:

      • The On Demand pick-up location at 69 Street Station is on northbound 69 Street, just south of the station/17 Avenue SW. When you arrive at the station, exit from the east doors and head south. See image.

      In Carrington and Livingston:

      • The app will give you a pick-up location. It will be at a street curb; you cannot wait inside your house.
      • At North Pointe there are two options for pick-up/drop-off points:
        • The transit hub on Country Village Link NE (behind Landmark Cinemas Country Hills and across from Notre Dame High School).
        • In front of the Good Earth Coffeehouse on the corner of Country Village Rd. and Country Village Link N.E.

      How will you ensure that people boarding booked that shuttle?

      If there are multiple people waiting at a stop, there may be more than one shuttle on its way to that stop. To ensure customers get on the right shuttle, the app will let customers know which vehicle to board, and the operator will confirm customers as they board. We don’t anticipate that our customers will intentionally board the wrong shuttle, as its trip will be customized to their destination. If they board the wrong one, they’ll be taken somewhere else.

      How do I know which shuttle is mine?

      Every shuttle has a vehicle number that you can see from the outside of the vehicle – the number is located above the door and at the rear of the shuttle.

      The On Demand app will let you know which vehicle is coming for you on the “Track My Ride” screen and on the text message that is sent to you.  See image. 

      If there is only one person booked, will they be picked up?

      Yes the one person will be picked up and brought to their destination.

      What do the On Demand routes look like?

      The route for each trip is planned based on the needs of customers on that vehicle. For example, if there are eight customers on a vehicle who are all going to 69 St Station, the On Demand shuttle will take the most direct, fastest route to the station once those eight customers have been picked up.

      This means that On Demand vehicles will sometimes take different routes to make each trip as efficient as possible. So you may see On Demand shuttles on smaller, residential streets, if they are the best route.

      What is the cost for me to ride On Demand and how to I pay?

      There is no additional cost for you to take an on demand trip; your regular transit fare is valid for your ride. Just like any other time you ride on Transit, you’ll need to ensure you have the right fare for your trip.

      • A single ride ticket is valid for 90 minutes from the time it’s validated
      • A day pass is valid until 2 a.m. the day after it’s purchased
      • A monthly pass is valid for a calendar month

      Payment* for fares can be made by:

      • Any Calgary Transit pass, ticket or transfer (including regular monthly passes, low income passes, senior yearly passes, and the UPass) – select the option in the app then show your pass/ticket to the driver.
      • Using My Fare, our mobile ticketing app.

      *Note: Cash cannot be used for payment in Carrington/Livingston. We apologize for the inconvenience.

      What kind of impact will On Demand have on school routes?

      Calgary Transit provides school express service inside and out of this pilot area and these routes will remain in place. For schools that are within the West Calgary service area that do not have a school express, we will be monitoring the number of students using On Demand and see if it can handle the demand or if it would be more cost effective to add a school express route. 

      What can I do to ensure the service works for me?

      To improve service for everyone, we ask customers to:

      • Plan your trips well and allocate adequate time in between transfers
      • If you can’t make a trip, make sure you cancel it versus keeping the trip and not showing up
      • If you must cancel a trip, aim to cancel it at least 60 minutes prior to boarding

      Why are you trying on demand transit service in this area?

      Some of our established communities have very low ridership. This makes it expensive and inefficient to provide traditional bus service with set routes and fixed schedules. On demand, shared transportation service may provide an opportunity to introduce more cost-effective and efficient transit service to these communities.

      Southwest Calgary was chosen primarily on ridership levels. While the COVID-19 pandemic has reduced ridership significantly in all areas of the city, this area had quite low levels even before the pandemic. As a result, we’re looking into whether using an on-demand model can be a cost-effective way to provide service to customers, which may prevent route cancellations in the future.

      In the Northwest, for new communities under development where the population density is low, means there aren’t as many transit customers as there are in established communities. This makes it expensive and inefficient to provide traditional bus service with set routes and fixed schedules. On demand, shared transportation service may provide an opportunity to introduce cost-effective and efficient transit service sooner to developing communities.

      Contact Us

      Contact us if you have any questions or want to provide feedback on this service.

      • Submit a request online. Please select the heading that best describes your feedback, then complete the online form.
      • Call us at 403-262-1000.
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