Summary#

Edmonton’s Executive Committee approved a single-source agreement with 9280-0366 Québec inc. (“Transit app”) for up to four years and no more than $2,500,000 CAD, excluding GST. City staff say the goal is to give regional riders free access to the app’s premium trip-planning features and to buy rider research data.

• The agreement covers the Transit app Royale subscription and Rate-My-Ride rider research data.
• Royale access would be free to transit riders in the Edmonton Metropolitan Region. The City would receive research data from in-app surveys.
• The agreement’s final form and content must be acceptable to the City Manager. The committee also kept a legal attachment private.

What it means for you#

• Transit riders: If you use the app in the region, Royale would provide additional trip-planning features at no charge. The decision does not require riders to use the app or change transit fares.
• ETS and City staff: They would pay for Royale access and Rate-My-Ride data. Staff plan to review rider experience, the trip-planning market and the City’s in-house capabilities during the third contract year.
• Taxpayers: City staff say the contract will be paid from existing operating budgets, with no additional tax levy funding.

Money#

The agreement is capped at $2,500,000 CAD, excluding GST, for up to four years.

• City staff report an annual contract cost of $540,000. They say it will be managed through existing operating budgets; no additional tax levy funding is required.

What is unclear#

• The agreement’s detailed legal terms are not available in the public material; its legal attachment was kept private.
• The material does not explain how the City will protect or use location-linked survey data, or how riders who do not use the app will be represented.
• The committee approved a term of up to four years, but the exact start date and final agreement terms are not stated.

Case for#

• City staff say more than 100,000 people in the region use the app monthly, and more than one million trips are planned through it each month. Paying for Royale would make its extra planning features available without charge to those riders.
• Staff say Rate-My-Ride collects an average of 212,000 Edmonton survey responses monthly, offering more frequent and location-specific feedback than the other survey channels described in the report.
• Staff say the app includes On Demand Transit trip planning and could support more integrated regional trip planning.

Case against#

• The City approved a single-source purchase rather than a competitive process. The public material does not include the private legal analysis explaining the applicable procurement exemption.
• The research relies on app users. City staff note that some seniors still rely on paper information, 311 or Transit Operators, so the data may not capture every rider’s experience.
• The material does not set out the privacy protections or limits on use of location-linked research data.