Saskatoon transit improvements support a growing city
What is PTIF?
The Public Transit Infrastructure Fund (PTIF) supports investments in public transit infrastructure across Canada to help communities build more efficient, reliable, accessible, and sustainable transit systems. PTIF funding helps improve transit capacity and service, support active transportation connections, and advance planning for future transit growth to better connect Canadians to jobs, services, and their communities.
Saskatoon is Saskatchewan’s fastest-growing city, with nearly 11.6 million annual transit trips and a transit system under increasing pressure to keep up. Aging vehicles, limited stops, and gaps in service were making that harder for the riders who depended on it most, including seniors, people with disabilities, and residents who rely on transit every day. Across Saskatchewan, the Public Transit Infrastructure Fund (PTIF) set out to address those pressures, supporting 14 projects across four communities: Saskatoon, Regina, Moose Jaw, and Prince Albert. In Saskatoon alone, six projects backed by $18.1 million in federal funding are helping the city modernize its fleet, improve its infrastructure, and plan for the transit network it will need in the decades ahead.
Upgrades to buses, stops, and shelters are improving the day-to-day experience for riders, making transit more reliable, comfortable, and easier to use. These improvements are also helping make transit more accessible for people with mobility needs, families with strollers, and other riders who benefit from more convenient and dependable service.
Meeting today’s needs, preparing for tomorrow
For a growing city, transit investment must do two things at once: improve current service and prepare for future demand.
PTIF made it possible to do both. While many projects across Saskatchewan focused on replacing aging buses and expanding fleets to meet immediate needs, Saskatoon also used PTIF funding to advance the design of a future bus rapid transit system.
This system, featuring dedicated routes, more frequent service, and fewer stops, will bring the speed and efficiency of rail-like transit to a bus-based network. It is also intended to strengthen connections to jobs, services, and community spaces across the city, making transit more accessible and convenient for residents. The early planning supported through PTIF helped move the project forward, with construction and vehicle procurement now continuing under subsequent federal programs.
A network that grows with the community
Saskatoon’s experience reflects a broader pattern of investment across Saskatchewan. In Regina, more than 5.3 million annual trips depend on reliable service, while Moose Jaw and Prince Albert transit systems support hundreds of thousands of riders each year.
PTIF investments helped ensure these systems could continue to meet demand, whether by replacing aging vehicles, expanding capacity, or improving infrastructure.
For smaller communities, this meant addressing immediate needs. For larger cities like Saskatoon, it meant building toward a more advanced and connected transit network.
Together, these investments are helping create transit systems that are more dependable, accessible, and better equipped to support growing communities across Saskatchewan. In Saskatoon, PTIF investments are not only improving transit service today, they are helping lay the foundation for a larger, more connected transit network that can support the city’s long-term growth and evolving transportation needs for years to come.
Quick facts
- 14 PTIF-funded projects supported transit improvements across Saskatchewan
- $28 million in federal funding invested in four transit systems
- 6 projects in Saskatoon ($18.1M), 6 in Regina ($8.5M), and 1 each in Moose Jaw and Prince Albert
- Investments focused on fleet replacement, system expansion, and infrastructure upgrades
- PTIF supported early planning for Saskatoon’s future bus rapid transit system
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