The City of Sault Ste. Marie is set to launch a redesigned public transit network known as Sault Loops on June 7, 2026. The new system aims to improve bus stop frequency, reliability, and the overall experience for riders across the community.
The redesign introduces four new routes: Citywide, Westside, Hillside, and Eastside. These routes will provide 15-minute daytime intervals between major destinations, including downtown, Algoma University, Cambrian Mall, Walmart, and the Northern Transfer Hub at Sault College.
Brent Lamming, Deputy CAO of Community Development and Enterprise Services, stated that these changes are the result of the Transit Optimization Study and extensive community input. The new system received 72 per cent public support and 61 per cent operator preference during engagement sessions. The city designed the plan to be cost-neutral, maintaining existing transit expenditures while addressing issues found in the previous network, such as circuitous travel and reduced reliability.
As part of the update, on-demand weekend evening service will be discontinued and replaced with hourly fixed-route service. The Community Bus service will remain unchanged. City council approved the Sault Loops plan in November 2025 following a period where transit ridership reached a record high of 1,940,601 rides in 2024.
Residents can find more information, including new route maps and schedules, by visiting saultstemarie.ca/transit.
