Specialized Transit plan and budget
Specialized Transit provides specialized buses, vans and sedans for Calgarians with disabilities and seniors with limited mobility to get them where they need to be safely, reliably and affordably. Calgarians who have disabilities often have fewer transportation options; our service is a vital connection to the people, services and amenities Calgary has to offer.
Our customers
- Calgarians who have disabilities that prevent them from taking regular bus and train service.
- Connects people across the city and links to other transportation services like public transit, streets, and sidewalks and pathways.
Our partners
The City of Calgary business units including:
- Finance, Supply Management
- Community Strategies
- Recreation & Social Programs
- Capital priorities & Investments
- Mobility
- Fleet & Inventory
- Facilities
- Downtown Strategy
- City & Regional planning
- Information Technology
- Human Resources
- Corporate Security
Value to Calgarians
- provides a door-to-door shared-ride service that makes it easier for Calgarians living with disabilities to get around safely, reliably and affordably
- connects customers with people and places that they care about by providing safe, accessible, reliable and courteous public transportation services
- expands transportation options to ensure a vital connection to the people, services and amenities Calgary has to offer
What we deliver
- Enabling customers to connect anywhere across the city
- Ensuring safe, reliable, and accessible service.
- Maintains a service that is priced according to usage and ability to pay
Budget breakdown
Operating and capital budgets explained
The City develops two budgets to create impact aligned with Council’s Strategic Direction:
- The four-year (2023-2026) operating plans and budgets
- The five-year (2023-2027+) capital plans and budgets
The operating budget includes revenues, recoveries and spending related to ongoing operations. These include:
- Salaries, wages and benefits.
- Day to day programs, maintenance and services.
- Administration costs (e.g., insurance).
- Fuel
- Utilities
- Capital financing costs.
The City's total net operating budget is zero. This means we budget to collect the revenue needed to deliver services to Calgarians — no more, no less. We collect this revenue through property taxes and other sources.
The capital budget pays for long-lived assets. These provide the foundation for the services Calgarians rely on. They include:
- Maintenance of current infrastructure (e.g., bridges, buildings and playgrounds).
- Upgrades to existing community infrastructure.
- New infrastructure to provide services in areas that are underserved (e.g., Green Line).
- New infrastructure for growing areas of the city.
Learn more about our 2023-2026 Service Plans and Budgets.
See how the budget has been adjusted since November 2022
Measuring performance
We are measuring our performance in five areas. Each value is the goal we expect to reach by 2026.
What we've heard
Through the recent survey conducted by the Corporation, the following are the most frequent themes identified regarding why Specialized Transit and its values matter.
- It is a service that is valued for independence and needs to be affordable.
- Safety concerns with accessing the LRT and stations.
From value dimensions, Calgarians ask to focus more on reliability, accessibility, and safety.
Participate and view results of City researchWhat we're watching
- Our service has experienced serious impacts over the last couple of years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Service demand is picking up for specialized transit service relatively quickly as compared to public transit service.
- We will continue to increase service to accommodate increasing service demand, while efficiently using the contractual resources at our disposal.
- We are also working with internal partners for continuity of the Provincial funding support for Low Income Transit Pass program beyond March 2023.
- We will continue to focus on technological advancements and other innovative service delivery models.
Our initiatives
What we plan to do
Specialized Transit service will continue to provide service to Calgarians as it recovers through the pandemic, aligned with the service demand. Over the recovery, service will continue to be optimized through efficient use of in-house resources and contractual service providers.
How we're going to get there
- Improve service and align service levels with return of customers to the specialized transit system by optimizing schedules.
- Improve service by investing in innovative service delivery options and technologies.
- Improve employee engagement and safety awareness/training by investing in employee commitment.
- Implement and monitor the accountability framework for Calgary Transit safety areas which are moving to other business units and/or departments.
- Implement a continuous improvement framework to improve service delivery while coordinating across the corporation.