Link to the future: Saskatoon prepares to revamp commuting with rapid bus system

Halyna Mihalik · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 18, 2025 8:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 11 minutes ago

Taking the autobus is simply a cheaper mode to commute, but not ever the faster.

The City of Saskatoon hopes the Link accelerated transit autobus system, which has the imaginable to determination up to 1,440 passengers hourly, volition lick that issue. 

The metropolis unveiled their plan plans astatine the University of Saskatchewan connected Monday. The assemblage is simply a large hub for autobus commuters, and students that CBC spoke with seemed excited astatine the idea. 

"I person missed the autobus and I had to hold for fractional an hour," Aditi Dhali, a machine subject student, told CBC. "I'm precise excited. It's quicker to get to our destinations."

The caller autobus system, expected to outgo $250 million, volition diagnostic platforms crossed the city. Construction volition statesman this summertime utilizing backing from the national and provincial governments. 

Eight of the caller Link stations were built successful the autumn of 2024, and 44 more are scheduled to beryllium built in 2025.  Shelters and different amenities are being finalized and volition beryllium installed anterior Link's launch.

Commuters and businesses tin expect to beryllium affected during operation this summer, a metropolis authoritative says. 

"A information of operation that we bash is on existing streets, and there's radical who are going to beryllium impacted by the work," Rob Dudiak, the city's peculiar projects manager, told CBC. "We look astatine what it's apt to instrumentality and however agelong it'll take, trying to minimize immoderate of those inconveniences for radical successful the assemblage arsenic champion we can."

The metropolis says Link was created due to the fact that of Saskatoon's increasing population. Right now, the metropolis has a fewer halfway autobus terminals wherever radical tin gather, but Saskatoon's transit manager says Link is going to wholly alteration that.

"The anticipation is to person a much convenient-to-use web wherever there's a small spot much connectivity and the quality to get astir the metropolis successful a amended way, not truthful overmuch similar contiguous wherever everything benignant of funnels done downtown," said Mike Moellenbeck, Saskatoon's manager of transit.  "You transportation successful 1 location."

Moellenbeck couldn't corroborate ticket pricing erstwhile Link is up and running. It is acceptable to motorboat successful June 2028.