‘Don’t put yourself in jeopardy:’ City has message for bus riders in frigid temperatures

As the temperatures continue to plummet in Saskatoon, the city is hoping no one gets left behind at their bus stops.

Director of transit Jim McDonald said the city books out around 102 buses each morning. The city has a total of 145 buses, but around 30 are being put through preventative maintenance during the cold winter months.

McDonald said transit officials get “surprised” at times when it comes to buses filling up, but they’re continuing to rebalance to ensure no one is stuck without a ride.

“It’s not always evident that the operator will see that there is somebody left behind,” he said. “A lot of the time, when we’re filling the bus to the doors, they’re going to ask, ‘OK, is that everybody?’ and if the passengers don’t assist the operator, (the driver) won’t notice.”

McDonald added that the transit bus app does have a feature to notify riders when their bus is full, but it doesn’t happen all of the time. He said that feature only works when “the operator pushes the button when they actually have a full bus.”

“We’re trying to get more communications out there with our operating staff, and more communications out to the public,” he said.

McDonald said riders who have an issue should report it to ensure Saskatoon’s bus system can provide the best experience possible to riders.

“If there’s any particular issue, if people would just phone our transit help line (and contact) the customer service centre, we can get it investigated and get back to that person,” he said.

“Please let us know, because we can’t fix it unless we hear about it.”

McDonald added that if riders are in the unfortunate position that their bus is full, or if they find themselves stuck at a bus stop without a ride, they should take steps to stay safe.

“If anything does happen, don’t stand out there for the next five minutes if you just saw the bus go by,” he said. “Go get warm somewhere else. Don’t put yourself in jeopardy.”