Twelve of 13 Edmonton-area municipalities are on board with a new regional transit system that aims to connect Edmonton buses and LRT with neighbouring communities.

The proposed network would link Edmonton buses and LRT with the transit services of 11 other municipalities including St. Albert, Spruce Grove, Devon and Sturgeon County.

The only outlier is Strathcona County, the second largest jurisdiction in the region after Edmonton. County councillors voted against joining the partnership in February.

The 12 municipalities signing on to the Regional Transit Services Commission team is the first step in forming a formal commission, which must be approved by the Alberta government.

Edmonton city councillor Michael Walters, co-chair of the transition team, is pleased with the collaboration's progress.

"It's exciting to see so many of our partners on board for this initiative that started with just Edmonton and St. Albert," Walters said in a news release.

"The commission makes good sense and I'm looking forward to seeing this established for the benefit of every community involved."

A regional system aims to make transit more efficient and save municipalities around $3.4 million a year by the time it's fully aligned in 2026, a report released by the team said in January.

At the time Strathcona County councillors voted against joining the regional transit partnership, Mayor Rod Frank said the proposal didn't offer savings or improvements to its existing infrastructure.

The current commission doesn't preclude Strathcona County from joining at a later time.

Participating municipalities: