A big green bus has arrived in Camrose, creating a transit connection that University of Alberta students have been waiting for years.

The University of Alberta’s Augustana campus is located 90 kilometers southeast of Edmonton. A new private bus service in Alberta, called FlixBus, added a route this fall connecting Augustana to the University of Alberta’s north campus.

This is part of a six-week pilot program that includes free tickets for students traveling between the two campuses. Tickets for community members start at $15.

“The problem with having a campus so far from Edmonton is that there was no way to get from Camrose to Edmonton without paying basically $300 for a round trip taxi or if you have a car and a license,” said Joanna Nicolas, a fourth-year law, crime and justice student at Augustana.

Nicolas took the bus last week to visit friends in Edmonton. She said the money she saved from her free ticket can now be used to buy groceries.

Miron Nekhoroshkov, a third-year Augustana computer science student, was traveling to Edmonton to check out the mental health clinic and other services on the north campus.

He said the savings would not only help students, but the community as a whole.

“It’s just really cheap, a lot cheaper than what students were paying in the past and what community members would have had to pay. It’s probably cheaper than probably getting gas to drive here too.”

An effort of several years

The FlixBus line meets a need that has been affecting students for years. When Greyhound exited the market in 2018, the Camrose Connector bus filled the void — in a partnership between Red Arrow, the City of Camrose and the provincial NDP government. The program ended in 2021.

Abdul Abbasi, external vice-president of the University of Alberta student union – and himself a student at Augustana – said that since then the university, the student union and the community have been trying to get that bus back.

“We contacted the Minister of Transport, we spoke with MPs, we used every other avenue available to us – and it didn’t work.”

The student union decided to approach FlixBus directly and reach an agreement. The pilot program’s free tickets are funded by the Augustana union, university and Student Association.

The Town of Camrose helps fund advertising.

Abbasi hopes the bus line will continue beyond the pilot project, at a cost of $15.

“I think it’s a really good price for students and we want to make sure that continues, so we’re advertising it as much as possible.”

A FlixBus spokesperson said in a statement to CBC that they are encouraged by the high ridership on the route so far.

“This road does more than just fill a transportation gap: it connects students and local residents to essential opportunities, from education and work to services,” the release said.

The bus runs Monday and Friday, and Abbasi said the University Health Center has created special appointment slots dedicated to Augustana students on Fridays.