EDMONTON -- The City of Edmonton is reinstating some transit service after its plan to revert to Saturday schedules, meant to slow the spread of COVID-19, resulted in delays and overcrowding.

"Minimizing change, increasing safety, and providing services are solid principles for decision making," Adam Laughlin, interim city manager, said Tuesday afternoon.

"But this morning's commute was not what we envisioned."

Immediately, the city is boosting service for the Tuesday afternoon rush hour between 3 and 6 p.m. Buses and operators have been put on standby in case they need to be called in.

"We're pulling them straight from their house into the service for this afternoon so that we can react quickly to those problems," said Edmonton Transit Service Branch Manager Eddie Robar.

ETS is also adding back other routes and will be adjusting schedules daily.

CITY FIELDS RIDER COMPLAINTS

Randy Nonay, a downtown worker who normally takes the #162 bus from Eaux Claires, needed to catch the #9 bus and LRT at the Royal Alex station Tuesday morning.

"When it left Eau Claire, wasn't that full. It had like 20 some people on it," he estimated.

But the bus filled as it made its way south.

"Before it even crossed the Yellowhead, I counted up to 55 people and I couldn't see the people getting on anymore."

Other Edmonton riders wrote CTV News Edmonton about overcrowding on buses from Jasper Place Terminal, and Routes 2 and 4 headed downtown.

One transit user feared his coworkers would think he'd get them sick because he takes public transit.

The switch to Saturday schedules was announced by Edmonton Transit Service on Monday after noting about a 22 per cent drop in ridership. As of Tuesday, ridership had declined 49 per cent. ETS is attributing the decline to more people beginning to follow provincial advice to self-isolate and work from home.

Nonay said that matched his Monday observations of fewer than a dozen people on the #162 bus – but disagreed weeklong Saturday service was very effective.

"You're so close you can't help but get it if they have it," he commented.

"It forces crowding. It forces people to have to readjust their schedules to fit these buses, and it forces people who don't have any kind of transit – they're really in trouble."

A heart condition increases Nonay's risk of becoming sick. If ETS hadn't responded to the backlash with changes, he said he would've had to consider not going to work.

'WE'LL FIX THIS': MAYOR RESPONDS

Mayor Don Iveson said the public feedback had been heard "loud and clear."

"I'm … pushing [City of Edmonton] officials hard for service changes. Sorry about this," he tweeted.

"Your safety and the safety of our staff matters most in these challenging times. We'll fix this."

I’m hearing your concerns on #yegtransit service adjustments loud and clear this morning and pushing @cityofedmonton officials hard for service changes.



Sorry about this.



Your safety and the safety of our staff matters most in these challenging times.



We’ll fix this. #yegcc https://t.co/QXa4undxU7 — Don Iveson (@doniveson) March 17, 2020

Currently, the city is deciding to:

Add buses to 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 15, 17 and 112 routes;

Restore service to the 16 Express, 80, 83, 84, 92, 95, 122, 137, 182, 331 routes;

Add earlier morning service to Route 100; and

Put buses and operators on standby. Supervisors will be stationed in the field to help monitor bus levels and communicate updates to the public.

Edmonton is working to find the right balance for passengers and operators, Laughlin told media.

Additionally, the March low-income transit pass will be extended through April.

"We know that people bought passes and expected a full month of service," Laughlin said.

ETS is directing customers to its website and social media for the daily changes. The app, as well as Google Maps, will not be up to date, given how quickly schedules are changing, Robar explained.