- AT-Network - University of Manitoba Mailing Lists

WFP: City tries to find the right balance in regulating personal e-vehicles (Jul18'26)
by Beth McKechnie 18 Jul '26

18 Jul '26

Caution! This message was sent from outside the University of Manitoba. SHARING THE ROAD City tries to find the right balance in regulating personal e-vehicles https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/2026/07/17/sharing-the-road PATTY Wiens was already a cycling enthusiast when she got an electric bicycle in early 2023, but she didn’t realize how much it would transform the way she got around Winnipeg. She started riding throughout winter and stopped relying on her vehicle. Eventually, she sold her car. “It’s not a replacement for a bike,” she said. “It’s a replacement for a car.” Wiens said her e-bike is a cheaper and more environmentally friendly way to get around the city, especially as the cost of living mounts. Not everyone is as effusive about e-bikes as Wiens. Many Winnipeggers have stories of being startled by e-bike riders who silently whip by them on active transportation paths, or helmetless e-scooter riders, often with a passenger clinging to their backs, zipping down sidewalks. One municipal leader has said their popularity has led to a “Wild West” mentality on city streets. As more people turn to e-bikes and other personal electric vehicles, including e-scooters, e-skateboards and e-unicycles, there is consensus that regulations are needed for how they operate on Winnipeg streets and pathways. The province is preparing new rules that will introduce speed limits, helmet requirements and other restrictions after receiving complaints that the lack of regulation has created unsafe conditions. Coun. Janice Lukes, the chair of Winnipeg city council’s public works committee, said such changes are greatly needed to control the vehicles, which operate in a free-for-all. “There are serious hazards. I see, all of the time … two kids on an electric bike or electric scooters (with) no helmets. Head injuries have skyrocketed,” Lukes said. The Canadian Institute for Health Information has reported the number of hospitalizations linked to e-scooters in Canada has surged by 32 per cent, to 498 in 2023-24 from 375 in 2022-23 . Dr. Brian Rowe, an emergency physician and professor at the University of Alberta, said emergency departments in the Edmonton area have recorded a steady rise in e-scooter injuries since rental scooters arrived in 2019. Most injuries are orthopedic, including fractures and dislocations that can require surgery. About 15 per cent of patients admitted to hospital have significant head injuries. Rowe said he supports regulations such as mandatory helmets, age restrictions and speed limits, but believes legislation needs to be backed by enforcement. “Education can only do so much,” Rowe said. “Provincially, they should probably have wider, more detailed legislation, but also some teeth. Because as far as I know, there has been no surveillance or enforcement of any of the rules.” Some Winnipeg residents say they’ve witnessed unsafe riding firsthand. Bobi Stupack said her husband saw a teenager crash after taking one hand off the handlebars of his e-scooter. “He stopped to help, so did another witness,” Stupack said. “The other witness took him to a hospital due to head injury symptoms and a broken thumb. He didn’t have a helmet on, like so many others fail to do.” Others say the actions of some e-bike and e-scooter users should not define everyone who relies on them. Adam Borchert uses an e-bike because of a disability and said it has become an important part of his well-being. “It has made a massive improvement to my independence and quality of life,” he said. Robert Ryan said he loves what his e-bike offers. “For someone like me in my 50s, it’s much easier on my knees, and I can be out exploring places I wouldn’t normally ride,” Ryan said. “I’m a pretty cautious and safe rider and haven’t really had any close calls.” Demand has steadily increased for legal e-bikes — those that are limited to a maximum assisted speed of 32 kilometres an hour. Brett Zagozewski, the owner of Bikes and Beyond Winnipeg, said e-bike sales tripled at the store last year. Zagozewski said e-bikes were once more popular among older riders, but the customer base has expanded across all age groups. “We certainly remind people, like anything that you want to operate, whether it’s an e-bicycle or a pedal bicycle, you should operate it with proper etiquette.” ●●● UNDER Manitoba’s current Highway Traffic Act rules, e-bikes are treated similarly to traditional bicycles. To qualify as an e-bike, they must have working pedals, a motor no larger than 500 watts and they must not provide electric assistance above 32 km/h. The minimum age to operate one is 14. Like traditional bicycles, e-bikes are permitted on roads, bike lanes and designated multi-use paths. They are not allowed on sidewalks, and riders are required to wear helmets. The provincial fine schedule includes a $113 ticket when an e-bike rider is caught not wearing a helmet or riding underage or riding on a sidewalk with an oversized rear wheel. E-scooters and other personal electric vehicles are in a different position. The province passed legislation in June to bring devices such as e-scooters, e-skateboards, self-balancing scooters and electric unicycles under the Highway Traffic Act in a new category called “personal electric vehicles.” However, those rules have not yet taken effect. Riders will need to be at least 16 years old to operate electric vehicles such as scooters and skateboards. All riders of personal electric vehicles will be required to wear a helmet, stay off sidewalks (except where noted otherwise) and are restricted from carrying a passenger. Exceptions include sidewalks designated as multi-use paths for both cycling and walking. Riders will be capped at an operating speed of 25 km/h, and they won’t be allowed on highways with speed limits greater than 50 km/h. A provincial spokesperson said the penalties for breaking those rules are still being determined. The date when the changes will take effect was not provided. Transportation Minister Lisa Naylor said in an interview that setting the minimum age at 16 aligns with most other communities and reflects an age when riders should be able to understand and follow the rules of the road. “My focus is always on keeping Manitobans … safe on our roadways … The kinds of things that we’ve been hearing across the provinces are (about) folks using these on walking paths or sidewalks, going at quite high speeds and sometimes creating a lot of risk for people using those pathways,” said Naylor. “At the same time, we know that a lack of helmet use for those types of vehicles does lead to a lot of health expenses and, of course, trauma for kids or adults who hit their heads when they fall off these things.” ●●● ONE cycling advocate supports capping the speed limit but isn’t convinced helmets should be made mandatory. “I think you’re better off promoting helmets rather than legislating helmets … The fear is that there’s a tendency when you legislate helmets … that you promote the fear side of things rather than the benefit,” said Mark Cohoe, executive director of Bike Winnipeg. Cohoe said that could make the vehicles seem more dangerous and deter some people from using the environmentally friendly transportation option. He said head injuries from collisions with motor vehicles are still possible when a helmet is worn. Rowe, the emergency physician, said helmet laws should apply to all active transportation devices. “I’ve seen that dozens, hundreds of times — people not wearing a helmet … they can have a lifelong injury,” he said. “Most of the people who wear a helmet, yeah the helmet might crack and they might get an abrasion somewhere, but they’re not (left) disabled.” Cohoe also believes federal rules may be needed to regulate the power, size and weight of e-bikes that are allowed for use in Canada. Zagozewski said there are a lot of non-certified e-bikes on city streets that are going faster than 32 km/h. Those vehicles should be categorized as mopeds and not allowed on sidewalks, he said. Wiens is also concerned by the dangers the illegal bikes pose. “I still get passed by these illegal e-motorcycles,” Wiens said. “They’re not even e-bikes; they’re just throttling it and zooming past me. And it’s kind of concerning; it’s kind of scary.” ●●● THE City of Morden implemented its own bylaw on e-bikes, e-scooters and e-skateboards in June, which makes helmets mandatory, allows just one rider (per single-person device), bans riding on sidewalks and boulevards and requires the vehicles to travel close to the right-hand curb of the road in the same direction as traffic. The regulations also require the vehicles to be equipped with a headlight and rear light or reflector when used during dusk or when it’s dark. Any infraction comes with a $50 fine, and in cases of flagrant repeated abuse, the vehicle may be impounded. Lukes said it would be more challenging for Winnipeg to carve out specific rules, since its population of more than 800,000 has so many trails, including bike routes that include both dedicated active transportation paths and roads shared with motor vehicles. “We have a lot more to look at than Morden does and we want to fall in line with provincial legislation … We’ve got thousands of vehicles on the roads,” the councillor said. Lukes supports the provincial rules and believes the city will find a way to adapt them to its environment and infrastructure. But because of the city’s size and population, enforcement will be a challenge, she said. Winnipeg’s public service is expected to make recommendations to city council on how best to regulate personal electric vehicles later this year or early next year, city public works spokesperson Julie Dooley said in an email. “There are some aspects of (the legislation) that need to be addressed in a Winnipeg context, which is a more complicated operating environment for e-bikes than smaller communities,” wrote Dooley. Wiens said the goal is to increase the number of people who use them safely and create a city in which all road users, including drivers, are mindful of each other. “We need education everywhere, because when we’re on a multi-use path, we need to prioritize pedestrian safety, right? Ring a bell, slow down.” — with files from The Canadian Press joyanne.pursaga(a)freepress.mb.ca<mailto:joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca> zoe.pierce(a)freepress.mb.ca<mailto:zoe.pierce@freepress.mb.ca>

1 0

CTV: Alberta launches complaint line over bike lanes (Jul16'26)
by Beth McKechnie 17 Jul '26

17 Jul '26

Caution! This message was sent from outside the University of Manitoba. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nat5gZLAmog

1 0

WFP: Wellington speed limit reduced (Jul17/26)
by Beth McKechnie 16 Jul '26

16 Jul '26

Caution! This message was sent from outside the University of Manitoba. WELLINGTON SPEED LIMIT REDUCED WINNIPEG drivers must now slow down along parts of Wellington Crescent. During the first week of July, the city posted signs that officially reduce the speed limit to 40 km/h from 50 km/h on the crescent, between Academy Road and River Avenue. The speed reduction was also added to small sections of River and Stradbrook avenues, where one-way portions lead into and out of Wellington, the city confirmed Wednesday. City council has also approved a plan to build a permanent bike lane on Wellington in 2027, with a goal to improve safety. Cyclists have long pushed for a reduced speed limit and protected bike lane in the area.

1 0

WFP: Cyclist struck, critically injured in North End (Jul15'26)
by Beth McKechnie 15 Jul '26

15 Jul '26

Caution! This message was sent from outside the University of Manitoba. CYCLIST STRUCK, CRITICALLY INJURED IN NORTH END A CYCLIST was critically injured Monday night after colliding with a vehicle near the intersection of Dufferin Avenue and Salter Street. Police were sent to the scene shortly after 6 p.m. and found the cyclist seriously injured. They were taken to hospital and remain in critical condition, Winnipeg Police Service Const. Pat Saydak said Tuesday. The investigation is ongoing.

1 0

WFP: Brandon cracks down at pedestrian crossings (Jul14'26)
by Beth McKechnie 14 Jul '26

14 Jul '26

Caution! This message was sent from outside the University of Manitoba. Three injuries in three days leads to ramping up patrols Brandon cracks down at pedestrian crossings https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/2026/07/13/three-girls-hospi… BRANDON police are ramping up traffic enforcement at intersections after three youth were hit and seriously injured by vehicles in three days on the same street last week. A 16-year-old girl was walking at a crosswalk on Richmond Avenue near Shoppers Mall on July 7 when she was hit by an SUV. Her mother, Krista McPherson, said her daughter was hospitalized in Winnipeg with nine broken ribs, a pelvis break and other injuries. In a social media post Monday, she said her daughter remained in hospital but was set to be discharged in the coming days. A 38-year-old woman was taken in for questioning by the Brandon Police Service, but no arrests have been made. Two days later, two 10-year-old girls were hit by an SUV driving westbound on Richmond Avenue while they were crossing southbound on Sixth Street in a construction zone. Both were hospitalized in Winnipeg with “serious but non-life-threatening injuries.” Police said several bystanders and construction workers witnessed the collision and surveillance footage was retrieved from the area. The 72-year-old man driving the vehicle was questioned by police and released without charges. “Brandon police would like to remind drivers to pay extra attention at pedestrian crosswalks/corridors and all other intersection crossings,” the a Monday social media post said. “Brandon Police Service will be increasing traffic enforcement for all Highway Traffic Act offences with a focus on these pedestrian crossing areas.” Both incidents remain under investigation. Community members in Brandon have called for arrests to be made in relation to the collisions. Police asked the public for patience, saying investigators were “committed to conducting a fair, impartial and evidence-based investigation.” “We understand that families and members of the public want answers as quickly as possible and we appreciate their patience while investigators complete this work,” a recent news release from Brandon police stated. “It is essential that the investigation be allowed to proceed without speculation so that the facts alone determine the outcome.” In 2023, 15-year-old Antoine Sutherland was killed at the Victoria Avenue and McDiarmid Drive crosswalk in Brandon after he was hit by a vehicle while biking home from school. Prabhjot Singh Grewal was charged with one count of dangerous operation of a vehicle causing death. His trial is set for October 2027 in Brandon’s Court of King’s Bench. Last month, a memorial plaque was unveiled at the site of the crash asking onlookers to drive safely. — Brandon Sun with files from Malak Abas

1 0

CBC: Electric car share program aims to break transportation barriers in rural Manitoba (Jul13'26)
by Beth McKechnie 13 Jul '26

13 Jul '26

Caution! This message was sent from outside the University of Manitoba. Red River Rides offers accessible transportation option in St-Pierre, RMs of Ritchot and De Salaberry https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/rural-electric-car-share-program-9.… For many people in rural Manitoba, buses, taxis and public transit are simply not an option. But a new car share program, which features a fleet made up entirely of electric cars, is working to make getting around a bit easier. Red River Rides launched in February this year in the village of St-Pierre-Jolys — about 50 kilometres south of Winnipeg — and the neighbouring rural municipalities of Ritchot and De Salaberry. The three municipalities are jointly operating what they call the "community-based" program, and say it's the first fully electric rural car share program in the province. The car share allows residents in those regions to book one of 10 vehicles — including electric SUVs, vans and trucks. Tina Bubenzer, the chief administrative officer for the Village of St-Pierre-Jolys, says the lack of public transit in rural communities can make it hard for many people, including seniors, students or newcomers, to get around. She thinks the car share will help. "Rural communities are a great place to live and raise your family. You have quality of life here," Bubezner said. "The village is growing and we want to continue to make the village an accessible option for different people to come and live." The car share can also help address affordability issues, she said. "A student can use this vehicle … to make transportation affordable for them to go to university." Bubenzer said it's taking some time for people in St-Pierre to adopt the program, but the village is holding information sessions about what the car share is and how to use it. The program is open to anyone in the participating communities who has a regular Class 5 driver's licence and is over the age of 18. Users download an app that allows them to make bookings, up to a month in advance, and also unlocks the vehicles. The first three months are free, and users can then choose between a $5 per month or $20 per month subscription, based on how frequently they plan to use the vehicles. They then pay an additional usage charge based on either how many hours or kilometres the vehicle is used for. There are public Level 2 charging stations — higher-voltage chargers that charge vehicles much quicker<https://www.cbc.ca/news/science/level-2-ev-charging-1.7527822> than standard power outlets — in several communities within the municipalities, including Île-des-Chênes and St. Adolphe. Funding for the program comes from all three levels of government, but Bubenzer said partnering with other communities has been valuable in rolling out the program. Rural Municipality of Ritchot Mayor Chris Ewen said he was skeptical at first about whether residents would adopt the program, but he's now "full force" behind it, after hearing positive feedback from community members and taking part in the program himself — despite owning two vehicles of his own. He hopes the car share will make it easier for more people to consider life in the country. "I have seen missed opportunities with immigration, where people are looking at living in larger hubs because they don't have the availability of a vehicle," Ewen said. "If we can kind of cross that off their concerns, that's one step closer to [them] becoming a member in rural Manitoba."

1 0

Engineer helped create modern mountain bike era
by Beth McKechnie 11 Jul '26

11 Jul '26

Caution! This message was sent from outside the University of Manitoba. Engineer helped create modern mountain bike era CHARLIE Cunningham, a pioneer of modern mountain biking who viewed bicycles as a means of combining technology and nature in a friendly symbiosis that the automobile could never match, died June 2 in San Anselmo, Calif., north of San Francisco. He was 77. His death, at a care facility, was from complications of a 2015 biking accident in which he sustained severe head trauma, said his wife, Jacqueline Phelan, a writer and former national offroad biking champion who is his only immediate survivor. While cyclists have ridden on dirt roads and trails since the 1800s, the era of modern mountain biking began in the late 1960s and early ’70s. In Marin County, Calif., enthusiasts bombed down unpaved fire roads on what were known as klunkers — single-speed cruisers with balloon tires. As the sport became more sophisticated, bikes began to be built specifically for off-road terrain. The term “mountain bike” was coined, and downhill races were organized. Cunningham, who had a background in engineering, joined other germinal figures in the sport — including Gary Fisher, Joe Breeze, Tom Ritchey and Charlie Kelly — in creating innovative designs and developing this emerging branch of cycling. Starting in 1978, he built the CCproto, which is considered the first mountain bike with an aluminum (rather than steel) frame, made of oversized tubes that were light and strong. His other innovations in off-road biking included knobby tires built for traction and control; a unique braking system that allowed for controlled stopping; and a patented lubrication system that flushed out old grease, water and dirt from a bike’s sealed bearings, injecting fresh grease. “To put it bluntly, if it had to do with mountain bikes and it was either invented or became popular before 2000, there is a good chance that Charlie Cunningham had either filed the patent, sketched a drawing, made a prototype or discarded the concept as fruitless,” Richard Cunningham, a bike designer and cycling journalist who is not related to Charlie Cunningham, wrote in 2018 on Pinkbike, a biking website. He added, “Cunningham laid down the DNA of the modern mountain bike so early in its history that many so called inventors are still congratulating themselves for reinventing his inventions.” Cunningham and Phelan belonged to the first class inducted into the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame, in 1988. Yet he seldom raced or wore traditional cycling gear, preferring corduroy pants and collared shirts. Mountain biking, for him, was more than a sport: It was a way of expressing his love of nature and his concern about the effect of cars on the environment. Hiking in the San Juan Mountains in Colorado, the one and only time he dropped acid, Phelan said in an interview, Cunningham peered down at the town of Silverton and was overcome by the feeling that “cars were the boss and people were the servants of the cars.” In the 1970s, he had been known for wearing a mask around the Bay Area, breathing with an oxygen tank to protect his lungs from air polluted by cars. Other machines could also drive him to distraction. He and Phelan, who married in 1988, regularly slept in what was essentially a tree house outside their home in Fairfax, Calif., near San Anselmo — for the fresh air and the nightly respite from the plugged-in world of cellphones, fax machines, televisions and computers. Cunningham “had a strong belief that the bicycle has a role in saving people and the planet, health-wise and mentally, too,” Phelan said. “Everybody that rides a lot knows it’s hard to maintain a bad mood on a bike.” His interest in mountain biking also stemmed from his attempt to recover from a shattering experience in 1972, when his brother, Doug, his only sibling, died by suicide after receiving a low draft number and facing the possibility of having to fight in the Vietnam War. For Cunningham, off-road cycling became a way to “get on top of the grief,” Phelan said. Charles Burr Cunningham was born Aug. 23, 1948, in Washington, D.C. His family eventually settled in the San Francisco Bay Area. His mother, Carol (Snell) Cunningham, was a highly regarded book artist who printed miniature books at her company, Sunflower Press, in Mill Valley, California. His father, Bruce Cunningham, was a Second World War fighter pilot who also served in the Korean War, then became an avid outdoorsman and a surveyor for an engineering firm; he built the family home in Mill Valley after reading do-it-yourself books. He shared his expertise with Charlie, who became an accomplished plumber, electrician and woodworker, and went on to study mechanical and aerospace engineering at the University of California, Berkeley, leaving one semester from graduation, irritated that he was not permitted to take a course on nutrition. Cunningham began building bikes in 1977, turning his garage in Fairfax into a workshop. In 1982, he and two partners, Steve Potts and Mark Slate, founded Wilderness Trail Bikes, one of the first companies to design and produce components for mountain bikes. After Cunningham left the company in 2002 amid a legal dispute, he continued to build custom bikes and did freelance engineering work. On Aug. 3, 2015, he was riding alone on a twisty road in Fairfax when he fell from his bike, perhaps after colliding with a deer, Phelan said. He suffered broken bones and a head injury that impaired his vision and scrambled his sense of direction. He struggled to read, but was able to write in journals and, eventually, to take walks by himself. He also rode on tandem bikes with his wife. In a 2002 interview with Rivendell Reader, a cycling magazine, Cunningham called bicycles the “perfect means for ‘right living.’” “They make people healthy and happy, and they free us from the tyranny of cars and the guilt of waste,” he said. “Of course, there’s a time and place for cars, but most of us use them too much.” — The New York Times

1 0

WFP Editorial: Anything seems possible now (Jul4'26)
by Beth McKechnie 04 Jul '26

04 Jul '26

Caution! This message was sent from outside the University of Manitoba. EDITORIAL Anything seems possible now https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/editorials/2026/07/04/anything-se… FOR the sake of history, and accuracy, it’s important that Winnipeggers should record and reflect on all of the bad things that did not happen when the City of Winnipeg finally, thankfully, re-opened Portage and Main to pedestrians just over one year ago. Traffic did not gridlock. Pedestrians were not mowed down like traffic cones. It did not divert much-needed financial resources away from more important infrastructure projects. The sky directly over Winnipeg’s iconic heartbeat of an intersection did not fall. Those are valuable observations given that all of these awful things, plus many more, were predicted by the forces on city council that sought to keep the intersection closed to pedestrians. Those forces include — again for the sake of an accurate historical account — councillors Jeff Browaty (North Kildonan) and Janice Lukes (Waverley West). A brief flashback: In 2014, then-mayor Brian Bowman promised during the municipal election campaign that he would re-open the intersection of Portage Avenue and Main Street to pedestrians, ending an ugly, decades-long policy of using barricades to keep citizens out of the intersection and driving them down below, or around, the intersection. In 2016, as council inched closer to officially re-opening the intersection, Browaty, along with Lukes and others on council, concocted a plan for a plebiscite to allow voters in the 2018 municipal election to have the final say; Bowman, despite having pledged to re-open the intersection, supported the plebiscite with the knowledge it was likely to kill his idea; suburban voters then quashed the re-opening plans. Browaty had been committed to stopping the re-opening. He said repeatedly that allowing pedestrians to cross the intersection was going to “cause delays and cause problems.” He said Bowman’s “expensive, unnecessary plan” was a wasteful diversion of road-repair funds. “It’s simply wrong.” The Browaty-Lukes plebiscite was a perfectly crafted poison pill, a vehicle that allowed voters to do what they do well — vote against something, rather than for something. Two-thirds of those who voted in the plebiscite turned their thumbs down on the re-opening plan, most of them from outlying areas of the city. Flash forward to March 2024 and current Mayor Scott Gillingham stunned people on both sides of the debate when he said he was introducing a plan to re-open the intersection to pedestrians. Gillingham, correctly as it turned out, noted that much-needed repairs to the intersection and the leaky membrane which prevented the underground from flooding would be far more expensive than closing the underground concourse and re-opening the street to pedestrians. So, the barriers were demolished and hauled away, repairs were made to the intersection and sidewalks, and the first pedestrians since 1976 crossed the intersection legally. Gillingham, acknowledging the volatile politics of the issue, walked across the intersection on June 25, 2025, and immediately hailed it as a success. “It’s working well, it looks great,” the mayor said. The saga of the re-opening revealed a lot of the intrinsic and, in some instances, unseemly elements of municipal politics in Winnipeg. This is a city that has been largely governed by cautious mayors and councillors who have shown an unwillingness to try new things. Gillingham’s decision to revive the re-opening may have been driven largely by financial concerns, but he should be thanked for realizing that the people who live and own businesses in the core — people who had campaigned for the re-opening — had a greater stake in the future of Portage and Main than suburban voters, many of whom rarely, if ever, come anywhere near that part of the city. The intersection is open again. A historic wrong has been righted. Wouldn’t it be nice if we used this as an example to embrace other new and bold ideas? After Portage and Main has re-opened, anything seems possible.

1 0

WFP: Overhaul needs one new stop: public trust (Jun27'26)
by Beth McKechnie 27 Jun '26

27 Jun '26

Caution! This message was sent from outside the University of Manitoba. Overhaul needs one new stop: public trust OPINION - TOM BRODBECK https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/2026/06/26/city-report-makes-it-eas… IF Winnipeggers had expected the city’s sweeping transit network overhaul to produce major improvements in service by now, the latest performance report offers a sobering reality check. One year after Winnipeg Transit launched its redesigned route system, many of the problems that frustrated riders from the outset remain unresolved, a Transit report released this week noted. Worse still, Transit officials have signalled that some of those shortcomings are unlikely to improve substantially any time soon. That should raise serious questions about whether the city is on track to deliver the kind of transit system residents were promised. The network redesign was supposed to be transformational. It was marketed as a modern, high-frequency system that would improve reliability, shorten travel times and encourage more people to leave their cars at home. Instead, the first year has been defined by technical failures, rider complaints, declining ridership and missed performance targets. Some progress has been made since last summer’s troubled rollout. Additional evening service has been added. Scheduling changes have been made. Routes have been adjusted based on feedback. But after a year of operation, the standard should be higher than simply saying things are better than they were during the launch. The real question is whether the system is performing at the level riders were promised. The report suggests the answer is no. The city’s flagship Blue Line rapid transit route, for example, achieved an on-time performance rate of only 66.6 per cent on weekdays during the winter months. That falls well below Winnipeg Transit’s target of 75 per cent. (Transit considers a bus is on time if it arrives between one minute early to five minutes after its scheduled time). The explanation offered by officials is even more concerning. Rather than suggesting the gap can be closed through operational improvements, Transit managers indicated the target may remain out of reach until additional downtown rapid transit infrastructure is built. That infrastructure is years away. In other words, one of the city’s most important transit routes is expected to continue missing reliability targets for the foreseeable future. The results on other routes are hardly reassuring. The D12 crosstown route connecting The Forks and the airport was on time 72.3 per cent on weekdays, but only 28.8 per cent of the time on Saturdays during the winter. That means Saturday riders had far better odds of encountering a late or early bus than one arriving within Transit’s own definition of being on schedule. Transit says performance on that route improved following scheduling changes in April, but the broader issue remains: a transit system cannot build public confidence when some routes perform that poorly. Perhaps the most revealing part of the report, however, is the information that wasn’t provided. Despite releasing route-specific performance figures, Winnipeg Transit declined to disclose an overall system-wide on-time performance rate. Officials argued that route-level data is more useful because it helps identify specific problem areas. That explanation misses the point. The public deserves both. Individual route statistics help identify operational challenges. Overall system performance tells taxpayers and riders whether the network as a whole is succeeding or failing. The refusal to release that information inevitably raises suspicion. If the overall numbers paint a positive picture, there would seem to be little reason not to disclose them. The fact Transit chose not to do so invites speculation that the system’s overall reliability may be worse than officials want the public to see. Transparency is particularly important given the difficulties the city has already experienced. The network overhaul got off to a disastrous start when GPS failures produced inaccurate bus arrival information almost immediately after launch. Riders struggled with missed connections, longer travel times and schedules that often bore little resemblance to reality. Public works committee chair Janice Lukes accurately described the situation as a “nightmare.” Unfortunately for Transit, first impressions matter. Many frustrated riders simply stopped taking the bus. The financial consequences are becoming apparent. Winnipeg Transit expects fare revenue this year to fall $18.4 million short of budget projections. People do not abandon transit because they dislike buses. They abandon transit when it becomes too unpredictable to depend on. That reality should concern city hall because Winnipeg needs a successful transit system more than ever. The city continues to grow. Road construction costs continue to rise. Traffic congestion is becoming a bigger challenge. Encouraging more transit use is not merely a transportation objective, it is an economic necessity. It requires a system people can trust. Right now, trust appears to be in short supply. Perhaps the most troubling part of this report is that officials appear to be managing expectations downward rather than presenting a clear path toward meeting established targets. When riders hear that reliability goals may remain out of reach for years and when the agency refuses to release system-wide performance data, confidence erodes further. Until buses consistently arrive on time (or arrive at all), ridership begins growing again and Transit becomes fully transparent about its performance, the overhaul cannot reasonably be called a success. tom.brodbeck(a)freepress.mb.ca<mailto:tom.brodbeck@freepress.mb.ca>

1 0

WFP: Transit pilot project reduced to 7 months, capped at 30,000 passes (Jun27'26)
by Beth McKechnie 27 Jun '26

27 Jun '26

Caution! This message was sent from outside the University of Manitoba. Youth get free ride … for a while Transit pilot project reduced to 7 months, capped at 30,000 passes https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/2026/06/26/free-ride-pilot-p… WINNIPEG Transit has proposed to let youth ride buses for free for only seven months, stating the $10 million the provincial government provided for a year of that service won’t cover the entire cost. In a new report, Transit says the program, which is meant to offer no-cost rides to youth aged 11 to 17 and high school students aged 18 to 21, would cost at least $16.5 million to implement for 12 months. The program stems from the pledge in the province’s 2026-27 budget to invest “in free transit for kids and youth.” Instead of exceeding the amount of government funding, Transit proposes to offer the free rides from September to March 2027, pending city council approval. “If it was the full program, like they wanted to do, it would be a lot more money that we would be short … We’re going to be monitoring this very closely, month by month, with (the province),” said Coun. Janice Lukes, chairwoman of the public works committee. High uptake for the program could also lead the city to ask for more money, said Lukes (Waverley West). While Transit estimates there are 65,000 youth in the eligible age group, including about 60,000 who attend school, it plans to initially cap the program at just 30,000 passes, assuming a 50 per cent uptake. “The initial distribution of the passes will be capped at 30,000 until the impact to the Transit system and overall demand for the program are better understood. Additional pass distribution will be considered to the extent that the Transit service is able to accommodate it and funding is made available to cover the additional costs,” the report states. Lukes said the city could print more passes later on, if there is enough demand and the province provides more money. The report says schools would distribute the passes. One school division superintendent said he’s “very confident” the province will ensure all students are able to get the free passes and he does not expect his division would need to determine criteria to cap the number of passes given out. “It’s our understanding that any child who needs a bus pass will get one and so that’s how we’ll distribute them,” said Matt Henderson, superintendent of the Winnipeg School Division. If schools were forced to provide passes to only some students, that would undermine the intent of the free program, he said. “We’re not expecting that at all. That (would) actually create more barriers and what this is intended to do is to remove all barriers around transportation to access public education,” said Henderson. The city’s cost estimate for the program includes $12.6 million in lost fare revenue and extra operating costs, such as adding 14.2 more full-time equivalent staff positions by 2027 to meet extra demand. Transit says the program is difficult to budget for because of the lack of information on how many youth will use it. “If more passes are distributed, more funding may be required to add more service,” the staff report states. Lukes said she shares the provincial goal to encourage more kids to ride transit but fears high demand could make the program cost even more, with little time to plan for it. “I think it’s great the province is doing this. I just do really think there should have been a lot more due diligence on this … or just giving us time to turn this around so we can deliver a stellar service. But we’re diving in. We’re going to do it … It’ll be a bumpy ride,” she said. Transit says service will be added during peak weekday periods, doubling feeder route trips that serve most high schools. Transit also warns the program could lead to potential service issues. “There is risk related to Transit’s ability to meet service requirements; if demand exceeds the proposed service, then there could be pass-ups and crowding … Full uptake could overwhelm the system and exceed Transit’s ability to meet peak service requirements,” the report states. Lukes said that potential risk is significant, noting the program will begin in September, when Transit demand traditionally ramps up. “There’s a lot of pass-ups and there’s a lot of things happening (in September) … So, this is just going to add to (it),” she said. Mayor Scott Gillingham said the province has noted it is open to considering more funding to run the program. “They do indicate … that they’ll work with the city to assess it and examine the funds required through future years,” said Gillingham. In a written statement, Manitoba Municipal Relations Minister Glen Simard said the free bus service aims to make life more affordable and the province will “continue to work with the city” on it. Coun. Jeff Browaty, city council’s finance chairman, said he’s not sure the initial round of 30,000 passes will be enough, since youth who don’t regularly commute by bus may seek the option once it’s free. “There will be growing pains … (By) the end of September, we’ll have a better idea of how much induced demand the free passes produce,” said Browaty (North Kildonan). Coun. Cindy Gilroy (Daniel McIntyre) supports the concept of free transit for youth but is concerned a sudden spike in demand for the passes could stretch Transit’s capacity. “It’d be a really great program to get young people taking transit. The concern is, are we on the hook if things aren’t working out because we have a huge intake?” said Gilroy. Students will be required to display the valid fare pass and their school photo ID to board the buses. — with files from Scott Billeck joyanne.pursaga(a)freepress.mb.ca<mailto:joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca> X: @joyanne_pursaga

1 0