Commuters between Calgary and Airdrie could be saving big, thanks to both municipalities taking early steps towards integrating their respective transit systems. “That would be the greatest news ever. If this comes up, it would be great and it would help me save a lot of money,” said Airdronian Evelyn Onwuka, who commutes into Calgary for school. Onwuka says her monthly costs are around $180 for transit: $50 for Airdrie’s monthly pass and $130 for Calgary’s. She is one of many Airdronians who commute into Calgary, with the City of Airdrie saying 77 per cent of Airdrie’s workforce makes the trip to Calgary, so the cost savings would impact many. “In a time when costs are rising constantly on every single thing that we do in a day, whether it’s groceries, gas, insurance or something else, when we can make transit more predictable in terms of the routes and in terms of the actual fares, that makes it easier for people to understand: ‘what are my monthly costs going to be?’” said Airdrie Mayor Heather Spearman. Calgary Mayor Jeromy Farkas supports the integration, calling it “really important for economic benefits,” as well as quality of life. However, he also points out there are several challenges that city administration will work out to ensure that this move makes sense for all parties involved. “The challenge as well is just financial,” Farkas added. “We’re wanting to make sure that Calgarians get our fair share of investment from the province of Alberta and that if Airdrie is benefiting from this arrangement, that it’s at least cost recovery. “To cut to the chase,” Farkas said, “we want to make sure that transit service in Calgary doesn’t suffer as a result of providing greater service to our region.” Airdrie’s growth Spearman says Airdrie is one of Western Canada’s fastest growing municipalities, as its population increased by more than 13,000 since 2023. According to Spearman, that increase is largely fueled by a working and student population, making the need for transit integration a big one. “We do identify a young population, an eager population that’s looking to work, and one that’s really budget conscious. So for us to look at transit solutions that are more than what they’ve been in the past is critical to the success of our community,” she said. Following a sharp decline in transit ridership due to covid, Airdrie transit ridership has recovered, with Spearman saying today’s numbers actually surpass pre-pandemic levels. In 2025, Airdrie Transit ridership was 545,809. Ridership to and from Calgary accounts for roughly 60 per cent of that, according to a spokesperson from the City of Airdrie. “More than two-thirds of our population are actually families that have young people at home. And we’re also seeing an upswing in multi-generational living, so for folks that have maybe the grandparents living in the home, the parents living in the home, and maybe young adult children living in the home, suddenly they’re burdened with multiple vehicles or multiple needs to get around. So in Airdrie, our needs are pretty specific,” she said. Linking Communities Airdrie’s hopes of integrating its transit system into Calgary’s, and its hopes of general transit growth, come amid other communities on the outskirts of Calgary losing transit services. Spearman says her municipality recognizes the challenges associated with integrating transit systems, but maintains that improved transit is a priority for the City of Airdrie. “At what point does a municipality say to themselves: ‘this is a service we want to offer, versus this is something we’re looking to do for a full cost recovery?’” she said. “For us: growing super quick, high commuting population, and a lot of young people that want to work and go to school, -- that’s why Airdrie really needs a transit discussion that’s going a little bit further than our own municipal borders,” she continued. Spearman added that Airdrie recently came out with its 10-year transit masterplan, and she hopes that this fare integration with Calgary is just the first of many steps Airdrie can take to expand its options and make travel easier for its growing population. “We’re watching significant industrial and employment growth in Rocky View County. How are we partnering with a regional partner like that and offering scenarios where we can support those employers by helping move our residents there that want to be working there on the daily basis? But also, how are we encouraging students to get to school? How are we encouraging people to support the local economy?” she asked. As for the immediate future of the Calgary-Airdrie transit fare integration, it’s expected that Calgary city administration will have more details and feedback in the second quarter of 2027.
