Over the Years: How Transit Encourages Access to Lethbridge Culture

A Lethbridge Transit bus picks up a rider downtown. Photo by Graham Ruttan.

Public transit has been an important service to Lethbridge residents since the first streetcars ran along the municipal railway system in 1912. The streetcar system included five colour-coded lines running from downtown to the north, south and east with service running seven days a week.

More than 500 labourers were engaged for four months on this massive construction project, and the first passengers climbed aboard on August 17, 1912. Although Lethbridge had only 10,000 residents at the time, around 7,000 riders took advantage of free fares in the first two days. Most were carried from downtown to attend the city’s first major tourist event, the International Dry Farming Congress.

Public transit is an ever-evolving part of life within the local community, and free or inexpensive access to local culture is crucial. Much like the streetcar initiative over a century ago, an innovative transit project called cultureLINK is launching in Lethbridge this summer. Designed to provide an easy connection between the Oldman River valley and the downtown, this free summer service links Lethbridge’s premiere cultural attractions, including Helen Schuler Nature Centre, Fort Whoop-Up, the Galt Museum & Archives, Casa, the Southern Alberta Art Gallery and Nikka Yuko Japanese Garden.

Photograph of an old Lethbridge City Bus in 1942. Galt Museum & Archives, 19754101018.

Streetcars were phased out beginning in 1939 in favour of diesel-run motor buses, though some electric streetcars continued to operate until 1947 due to wartime fuel shortages. In their 35 years of operation, the streetcars carried more than 47 million passengers.

Buses have the advantage of flexible routes, which was important as the city grew rapidly in the 1950s and transit routes expanded over time. In the late 1940s, the price for a single one-way fare was five cents, which slowly climbed up to 25 cents per ride by 1977. Today a single cash fare for adults is $3.00. This summer, all passengers can ride the cultureLINK route free-of-charge.

The colourful, eye-catching cultureLINK bus runs June 27–September 30, 2022, seven days a week between 10 am and 7 pm. The route runs every 20 minutes and corresponds with many established transit routes so connections are easily made. A local ambassador from Tourism Lethbridge will be aboard the main bus Monday through Saturday to share with locals and visitors alike the exciting activities, special events and places to experience, shop or dine.

cultureLINK represents a new step for Lethbridge public transit—there is no better way for people and households of all ages to experience the energy and vitality that Lethbridge has to offer this summer. Who knows what comes next? Self-driving buses and flying vehicles might not be far off.

To learn more about the history of local transit, visit the Galt’s current exhibit Ticket to Ride: Transit Through the Years.