The Owl Called It -Transit Will Run On Family Day (and two More Holidays)!

Jan 23

Full disclosure - I have been advocating for this since I ran for council in 2021. I am completely biased when it comes to this subject - Kelly Allard

The limited return of holiday bus service is to start with Family Day as part of a pilot project.

For the first time in years, people without transportation can now get to the free Family Day activities put on by the city and the free Canada Day activities!

Once upon a time, Medicine Hat had bus service on holidays. That stopped at some point and it has never returned. Obviously, I would love to see service own ALL holidays but given how much pushback there is to extend bus services by people who have their own transportation, three days is way better than none.

Background

I had been advocating for this with the 2021 Council and the Managing Director of Public Services at that time (Brian Stauth) but nothing ever happened. Councillor Robins issued a challenge to the rest of council to take the bus but we heard nothing about that either.

I realized then that I was talking to the wrong people - Council was not going to do a damn thing.

In late 2024, a new Managing Director of Public Services was hired, Joseph Hutter.

In early 2025, I spoke with Mr Hutter (now Interim City Manager) about transit. Mr Hutter was much younger that Mr Stauth and was receptive. Mr Hutter remembered taking the bus to get to university, not because he had no choice but because it was efficient - no parking to worry about, no fighting with traffic. He asked me to send him the information that I had. Last year they came up with the Rec and Ride Pass which was a brilliant idea that was hugely successful.

Public Services staff was able to find the money in their existing budget to fund transit service on three holidays per year. This meant they did not have to go to council and ask for money, they could just do it.

The idea was brilliant in my opinion. Three days can show the support and the need for holiday transit service and make it easier for council to say yes to more transit funding.

Statement From the City

The City of Medicine Hat has introduced a pilot project that will provide transit service on three statutory holidays in 2026, starting Monday, Feb. 16 for Family Day.

The pilot project will assess ridership levels and the benefits of providing service on statutory holidays. The pilot has been made possible through resources previously approved in the 2025-26 budget. It was initiated in response to rider requests for statutory holiday service, and is intended to determine whether usage supports the financial commitment required.

“This initiative highlights the commitment of Medicine Hat Transit to maximizing the value and quality of the service we provide, while also being fiscally responsible. Having played a key role in launching this pilot through their feedback, riders now have the opportunity to influence the long-term approach to statutory holiday transit service through their usage.”

– Gordon Dykstra, Manager of Transit Services, City of Medicine Hat

The first two statutory holidays were overwhelmingly chosen by transit users in a 2025 survey:

Family Day – Monday, Feb. 16
Canada Day – Wednesday, July 1

The third and final statutory holiday will be based on use over the first two days, including the usage patterns of riders taking advantage of holiday service.

The following three days will be considered for the final statutory holiday in the pilot:

National Day for Truth and Reconciliation – Wednesday, Sept. 30
Remembrance Day – Wednesday, Nov. 11
Boxing Day – Saturday, Dec. 26

Medicine Hat Transit will offer its Sunday service hours (8:15 a.m. to 7:15 p.m.) on the three statutory holidays included in the pilot. There will be no dedicated on-demand or adaptive transit services within this pilot project. However, standard transit buses are wheelchair friendly and able to accommodate those with accessibility needs.

Pilot project results will help Medicine Hat Transit better understand community need relative to statutory holiday service moving forward.