Capilano Transit Center to Fairmount McDonald Hotel by Bus

Edmonton, in Alberta, western Canada doesn’t do public transportation that well. Or rather, it doesn’t do a lot of it. The car rules here. It’s a city that was built for the motor vehicle. Not only because it sprawls for miles and miles, but because for six months of the year the ground is covered in snow and the average winter temperature is about -20 Celsius.

But there are some people who don’t drive. My name’s Tegan; and I am a public transportation user.

In Edmonton, public transportation means the bus. It’s the only credible public transportation system Edmonton has, which could be why it’s operated efficiently. The buses are frequent and run to schedule. In fact, most times the drivers are so conscientious that they get their buses out a few minutes ahead of schedule, perhaps overlooking that this approach is the same as arriving at a stop a few minutes behind schedule – at least for those who plan their journeys using the published timetable. Therefore, it always pays to be a few steps – and minutes – ahead of the bus driver.

My daily journey involves walking from my house to the Capilano Transit Center, which, depending on the weather, can take anywhere from between about five and eight minutes. The streets are quiet with only the odd motor car crawling past.

The 7.35am bus is usually already in the transit center (naturally!) when I arrive. Not only are Edmonton’s bus drivers conscientious, they’re also considerate. Even when the driver’s away getting a coffee, he or she will always leave the bus doors open so you can board, which I do. I sit in my usual place: window seat in the first row of the rear section (driver’s side).

The bus sets off relatively empty. As the journey progresses, the familiar faces get on. The slim woman who sits at the front and sometimes carries a guitar case; the big guy who sits behind me and spends most of the journey good-naturedly moaning to his traveling companion about whatever’s sticking in his craw that morning.

The bus takes no more than around 20 minutes to get downtown, which is my destination. In the winter, as the bus climbs the hill to the downtown core, we passengers are treated to the spectacle of the rising sun’s colors painting the river valley below. And then once the bus turns the bend, it’s time for me to alight at the Fairmount McDonald Hotel. Many of my fellow passengers get off with me at this stop, where we then swiftly move through the city to our respective buildings.