2026-27 Transit Concerns

What We Heard: 521 Responses

The response was significant. 521 students and parents completed the survey — representing approximately 29% of the Henry Wise Wood student population. 

The responses highlighted several consistent themes:

• 75% reported experiencing transit issues every day or several times a week. 

• 43.6% reported that their trip home from school takes more than 45 minutes. 

• 89% of respondents expressed concerns about overcrowding. 

• 56% reported being frequently late. 

Families and students also described the impact of unreliable transportation on school and daily life, including missed instructional time, difficulty getting to lockers and class on time, stress, and less time for homework, employment, volunteering and extracurricular activities. 

The survey also allowed us to identify route-specific concerns, including overcrowding and pass-bys on Routes 778 and 779, inconsistent arrivals and capacity issues on Route 776, and connection and afternoon service issues affecting Route 780. 

The results gave us something important: a clearer picture of the student experience, supported by data from across our school community.

Bringing the Data to the City

On October 9, Wisewood Families brought the survey findings directly to Ward 11 Councillor Rob Ward, representatives from the Ward 11 office, Calgary Transit and Henry Wise Wood administration.

With 521 responses behind us, we were able to move beyond individual stories and discuss the broader patterns emerging from the survey — including overcrowding, pass-bys, lengthy commutes, inconsistent service and the impact on students.

The meeting was a productive opportunity to share what students and families are experiencing, ask questions about how Calgary Transit plans and delivers service, and discuss potential areas for improvement.

We also gained a better understanding of the planning, operational and resource constraints that affect Calgary Transit service across the city. We have summarized some of that information in our Calgary Transit Facts section below.

Most importantly, the conversation established a foundation for continued dialogue and follow-up between Wisewood Families, Calgary Transit, Ward 11 and CBE Transportation.

What We Discussed

The survey gave us an opportunity to discuss several specific concerns with Calgary Transit and Ward 11 representatives, including:

• Route 779: Calgary Transit will investigate the current combined Route 779 for Ogden and Riverbend and why it was designed this way. Is there an opportunity to split it?

• Route 3 and school dismissal: We discussed whether afternoon service on Route 3 could be better aligned with the 3:31 p.m. Henry Wise Wood dismissal time, particularly given the future plans for more frequent Route 3 service

• Capacity: We discussed the potential for greater use of articulated buses on routes where additional capacity is needed

• Student safety and behaviour: We discussed concerns about behaviour on school routes, including vaping and smoking, and potential opportunities for greater awareness and enforcement. The possibility of coordinated opportunities for Peace Officers to ride school routes was also discussed. 

• Pedestrian safety: We discussed opportunities to improve safety around Henry Wise Wood, including potential traffic-calming measures and a scramble crossing

• Route-specific concerns: The survey identified concerns on several other routes, including Routes 776, 778 and 780. These issues were part of the broader discussion about service reliability, capacity and connections.

The meeting also gave us an opportunity to ask questions about how Calgary Transit plans school service and how decisions about capacity and routes are made. The Calgary Transit Facts section provides additional context on these issues. 

Next Steps

The October 9 meeting is the beginning of an ongoing conversation. Our next steps include:

• Share the survey results and data with relevant stakeholders to support further analysis and follow-up.

• Follow up on Route 779 and the possibility of changes to its current configuration.

• Continue discussions about Route 3 and the alignment of afternoon service with the Henry Wise Wood school day.

• Invite Ward 11, Calgary Transit and CBE Transportation representatives to the October 26 Wisewood Families AGM for a Q&A with families

• Continue discussions about pedestrian and active transportation safety around the school.

• Continue working with Calgary Transit, Ward 11 and CBE Transportation on the issues identified through the survey.

We will continue to share updates with families as these conversations progress.

Thank You to Our Community

A special thank you to the 521 students and parents who took the time to complete the survey and share their experiences.

Your responses gave us a much stronger understanding of the transportation challenges facing our students and allowed us to bring concrete data and community experiences directly to Calgary Transit and Ward 11 representatives.