Saddletowne Transit Service Review (TSR)

Final 2026 route changes

After an extensive review of bus service in the northeast part of the city, and customer feedback about our proposed routes, we have finalized the route changes that will begin August 31, 2026.

To see how your route will change, please take a look at the table below. If your route isn’t listed, it will not be changed.

Existing route	Final changes	Relevant/alternative route(s):
38 - Brentwood Station / Temple (Modified)	Modified	38 - Brentwood / Saddletowne Station 70 - Temple (New)
43 - McKnight Westwinds / Chinook Station (Modified)	Modified	43 - Whitehorn / Chinook Station 68 - 68 St E 70 - Temple (New)
59 - Savanna (Modified and combined with Route 159)	Modified and combined with Route 159	59 - Savanna 100 - Airport 159 - Saddlebrook
159 - Saddlebrook (Modified and combined with Route 59)	Modified and combined with Route 59	59 - Savanna 61 - Taradale 100 - Airport 159 - Saddlebrook
60 - Martindale	Modified and combined with Route 85	60 - Martindale 61 - Taradale 70 - Temple (New) 59 - Savanna 159 - Saddlebrook
61 - Martindale (counter-clockwise)	Modified and combined with Route 71	60 - Martindale 61 - Taradale 70 - Temple (New) 59 - Savanna 159 - Saddlebrook
68 - 68 St E (Modified)	Modified	38 - Brentwood / Saddletowne Station 68 - 68 St E 70 - Temple (New) MAX Orange
71 - Taradale	CANCELLED (combined with Route 61)	21 - Castleridge (counterclockwise) 55 - Falconridge (clockwise) 60 - Martindale 61 - Taradale 70 - Temple (New)
85 - Martin Crossing	CANCELLED (combined with Route 60)	60 - Martindale 61 - Taradale

Existing route

Final changes

Relevant/alternative route(s):

38 - Brentwood Station / Temple (Modified)

Modified

38 - Brentwood / Saddletowne Station

70 - Temple (New)

43 - McKnight Westwinds / Chinook Station (Modified)

Modified

43 - Whitehorn / Chinook Station

68 - 68 St E

70 - Temple (New)

59 - Savanna (Modified and combined with Route 159)

Modified and combined with Route 159

59 - Savanna

100 - Airport

159 - Saddlebrook

159 - Saddlebrook (Modified and combined with Route 59)

Modified and combined with Route 59

60 - Martindale

Modified and combined with Route 85

70 - Temple (New)

61 - Martindale (counter-clockwise)

Modified and combined with Route 71

70 - Temple (New)

68 - 68 St E (Modified)

Modified

38 - Brentwood / Saddletowne Station

68 - 68 St E

70 - Temple (New)

MAX Orange

71 - Taradale

CANCELLED

(combined with Route 61)

21 - Castleridge (counterclockwise)

55 - Falconridge (clockwise)

60 - Martindale

61 - Taradale

70 - Temple (New)

85 - Martin Crossing

CANCELLED

(combined with Route 60)

60 - Martindale

61 - Taradale

Service levels of final routes
New or modified route	Service span	Peak (M-F, 6am-9am, 3pm-6pm)	Off-peak
59 – Savanna	5 a.m. to 1 a.m. (next day)	12	18 - 35
159 – Saddlebrook	5 a.m. to 1 a.m. (next day)	12	18 - 35
60 – Martindale	5 a.m. to 1 a.m. (next day)	23 - 24	23 - 27
61 – Taradale	5 a.m. to 1 a.m. (next day)	12	20 - 30
38 – Brentwood/ Saddletowne Station	5 a.m. to 1 a.m. (next day)	15	20 - 24
43 – Whitehorn/ Chinook Station	5 a.m. to 1 a.m. (next day)	10 - 14	20 - 30
68 – 68 St E	5 a.m. to 1 a.m. (next day)	23 - 25	35
70 – Temple	5 a.m. to 1 a.m. (next day)	16 - 17	21 - 30

You can review the results of our engagement in our Engagement Report

What’s next?

Route changes will begin on August 31, 2026.

To present the final area network and help you plan your new commute, we are hosting two drop-in information sessions:

     When: July 15, 2026, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
     Where: Genesis Centre (lobby area)
     Address: 7555 Falconridge Blvd NE

     When: July 19, 2026, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
     Location: Dashmesh Culture Centre (main lobby area)
     Address: 135 Gurdwara Sahib Blvd NE

Transit planners and schedulers will be available to speak with you about the upcoming changes.

The Transit Service Review process:

Saddletowne TSR

The Saddletowne TSR includes bus routes that serve several N.E. communities. Our goals for this area are to:

Increase connections throughout the communities in the study area. This includes connecting to high schools, retail/shopping areas and McKnight-Westwinds Station
Invest in the growing areas of Savanna and Saddle Ridge
Adjust routes in the area to align with the primary transit network (PTN) and network design principles, as outlined in RouteAhead

Comprehensive review of current transit service

Our first steps for this area were to review:

How well the routes align with Route Ahead principles,
The performance and ridership of every route,
Current Transit coverage in the area,
Expected community growth
Areas with duplicate or overlapping bus service
School catchments and School Express Route use,
Important destinations and how well they are covered by Transit
Feedback from operators about each route
Feedback received from customers about each route (through 3-1-1, our call centre, our ‘contact us’ page, social media, etc.)
Comments and concerns from area councillors

Development of proposed changes

Based on this review, we have proposed adjustments to bus routes in the area, which will provide improved overall service, connections, and flexibility for the varied needs of our customers.

Highlights of proposed changes

Extension of Route 38 to Saddletowne
Termination of Route 43 at Whitehorn Station
- New Route 70 - Whitehorn/Temple and Saddletowne
- Revised Route 68 to McKnight-Westwinds Station
Reduced service duplication on 64 Avenue N.E. and Martin Crossing Boulevard N.E.
New Routes 60 and 61 to connect between Saddletowne Station and McKnight Westwinds Station
New Routes 59/159 – two-way service for the communities of Savanna and Saddle Ridge
Increased capacity on Falconridge Boulevard – assisting with MAX Orange and Route 23 overloads
- Improved connections to:
- Nelson Mendela, Bishop McNally, and James Fowler High School
- McKnight Westwinds retail area – Superstore
- Savanna Bazaar
Improved service levels in community corridors

Public review

In March, we shared our proposed route changes and asked the community for feedback. We held two open houses in the area and hosted an online survey for customers to let us know your thoughts.

Current overall area map

Proposed area map

Engagement Report

Thank you to everyone who provided feedback earlier this year on the bus route changes we proposed. Where possible, we have used your feedback to make adjustments.

Changes to our original proposed routes include:

Route	Changes/rationale
38	No changes As part of expanding the Primary Transit Network, Calgary Transit will extend Route 38 to Saddletowne Station and re‑align Route 43 to terminate at Whitehorn Station. Since Whitehorn and Temple are not designated PTN corridors, local transit service within these communities will be provided by Route 70. Keeping Route 38 on McKnight Bv will result in a faster travel time compared to going through the community of Whitehorn
43	No changes As part of expanding the Primary Transit Network, Calgary Transit will extend Route 38 to Saddletowne Station and re‑align Route 43 to terminate at Whitehorn Station. Since Whitehorn and Temple are not designated PTN corridors, local transit service within these communities will be provided by Route 70. Terminating Route 43 at Whitehorn Station allows other local routes to focus on community coverage, resulting in more efficient use of transit resources.
59/159	No changes Invests in service in the growing areas of Savanna and Saddle Ridge Reduces duplication and optimize resources
60	Revised Route 60 to connect with Dashmesh Cultural Centre and provide service on Martin Crossing Bv NE. Reduces service duplication with Route 60/61 and 85 and optimizing the resources to provide better service levels in the area. Ensures residents have direct access to Dashmesh Reduces service coverage gap on Martin Crossing Bv The trade off results in a reduction of service on Martindale Bv and Martindale Dr NE. Both within 400 – 600m of a bus stop and LRT Station. Maintains a connection to McKnight Westwinds Station.
61	No changes Reduces service duplication with Route 60/61 and 71 and optimizing the resources to provide better service levels in the area. Maintain connection to Dashmesh Cultural Centre and McKnight Westwinds Station.
68	Revised Route 68 to connect through the community of Temple and Whitehorn instead of McKnight Bv where the previous Route 38 and 43 served. Connects Route 68 through Temple and Whitehorn to reduce the impact of the community and allows them similar transit access to the other parts of the City. Transit users in Falconridge can access Saddletowne and the Dashmesh by using Route 70 and transfer to Route 60 or 61.
70	No changes As part of expanding the Primary Transit Network, Calgary Transit will extend Route 38 to Saddletowne Station and re‑align Route 43 to terminate at Whitehorn Station. Since Whitehorn and Temple are not designated PTN corridors, local transit service within these communities will be provided by Route 70. Connects Route 70 to Whitehorn Station, Saddletowne Station and 68 St E which will allow Whitehorn and Temple residents with similar transit access to the other parts of the City.

View the detailed Engagement Report

Previous proposed routes

If you currently use route(s):	You may be interested in route(s):
38 - Brentwood Station / Temple (Modified)	38 - Brentwood / Saddletowne Station 70 - Temple (New)
43 - McKnight Westwinds / Chinook Station (Modified)	43 - Whitehorn / Chinook Station 68 - 68 St E 70 - Temple (New)
59 - Savanna (Modified and combined with Route 159)	59 - Savanna 100 - Airport 159 - Saddlebrook
159 - Saddlebrook (Modified and combined with Route 59)	59 - Savanna 61 - Taradale 100 - Airport 159 - Saddlebrook
60 - Martindale (Modified and combined with Route 85) 61 - Martindale (counter-clockwise) (Modified and combined with Route 71)	60 - Martindale 61 - Taradale 70 - Temple (New) 59 - Savanna 159 - Saddlebrook
68 - 68 St E (Modified)	38 - Brentwood / Saddletowne Station 68 - 68 St E 70 - Temple (New) MAX Orange
71 - Taradale (Discontinued and combined with Route 61)	21 - Castleridge (counterclockwise) 55 - Falconridge (clockwise) 60 - Martindale 61 - Taradale 70 - Temple (New)
85 - Martin Crossing (Discontinued and combined with Route 85)	60 - Martindale 61 - Taradale

Categories: Transit Service Review