Strathmore gets new bus service
By John Watson Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Flixbus has introduced a new stop in Strathmore, which opened for operations as of May 15, including the town amongst several other stops across southern Alberta.
Similar connections through the transit service include Edmonton, Red Deer, Calgary, Okotoks, Claresholm, Fort Macleod, Lethbridge, Bassano, Banff and Medicine Hat.
Karina Frayter, head of communications at Flix North America, explained the company is aiming to make intercity travel more accessible, particularly in regions which have previously been overlooked by other transportation networks.
“Strathmore made a lot of sense. It is right on the route between Calgary and our recent addition in Medicine Hat, and it is a vibrant, growing community that has not had a reliable long-distance travel option,” she said. “This stop helps fill that gap and connects Strathmore residents to more of Alberta and beyond. Now felt like the right time to bring it into our network.”
Getting to this point, she added the team was required to evaluate factors such as route patterns, community needs, demand forecasting, and infrastructure suitability.
Following the launch of Flixbus services in and out of Medicine Hat, Frayter explained it created a beneficial and convenient opportunity to add the Strathmore stop to their services as well.
“This is really about giving people more freedom to travel, whether that’s to visit family, access services, go to school, or explore job opportunities. Strathmore hasn’t had a lot of affordable intercity travel options, and our goal is to change that. We want to make it easier for residents to connect to larger cities like Calgary and Edmonton without needing a car,” she said. “To our knowledge, there’s nothing quite like what we offer currently serving Strathmore. There may be regional shuttle options, but nothing with the affordability and reach of a national network. We’re definitely bringing something new to the table.”
Similar to services such as airlines, tickets will become more expensive the closer to a given departure date that they are booked.
Frayter clarified however, even tickets booked late are often more affordable than other means of transportation for covering long distances.
Strathmore will be a part of a much larger intercity route, however passengers are able to use the service to travel directly to their destination in either direction.
Flixbus will be stopping in Strathmore once a day, five days a week to begin their services. It is being considered a demand stop, which means the bus will only stop in town when there is a booking.
More information about the service is available through the Flixbus website. Routes, ticket bookings and prices may also be accessed this way, or through the Flixbus mobile app.