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City hall needs to fix transit issues — quickly

https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/2026/06/09/fewer-taking-bus-after-sy...

TOM BRODBECK

ONE year after Winnipeg Transit launched the most ambitious overhaul of its bus network in decades, the verdict is becoming increasingly difficult for city hall to avoid.

The relaunch is not delivering the results that were promised.

City councillors and Transit officials can try to sugar-coat it any way they want. They can point to positive feedback from some riders, blame federal immigration changes and cite fare evasion.

But the numbers don’t lie. Winnipeg Transit is now forecasting it will collect $18.4 million less in fare revenue this year than budgeted. That is a staggering shortfall for a system that was supposed to be attracting more riders under its redesigned network.

Transit originally projected $97 million in fare revenue for 2026. It already warned earlier this year that revenues could fall by $11.1 million because of declining ridership. Now the situation appears significantly worse.

Even more concerning is the ridership data itself.

Average weekday boardings during the winter of 2025-26 were estimated at 164,482. That’s down more than 11 per cent from the previous winter and far below the nearly 196,400 weekday boardings recorded before the pandemic in 2018-19. If the new network was supposed to make public transit more attractive and convenient, the evidence so far suggests the opposite is happening for many riders.

Perhaps the most telling admission came from Coun. Jeff Browaty, who chairs city council’s finance committee, acknowledged that some regular riders have found the new system less useful than the old one and have switched to other forms of transportation.

That should set off alarm bells throughout city hall.

Public transit succeeds when people choose it over driving, ride-booking services or other alternatives. If existing customers are abandoning the system, that’s a serious problem.

To be fair, the network redesign is not solely responsible for declining ridership.

Transit officials are correct that federal immigration policy changes have reduced the number of international students and temporary foreign workers in Winnipeg. Those groups traditionally rely heavily on public transit and their numbers have fallen across Canada.

That undoubtedly explains part of the decline.

But it doesn’t explain all of it. For months, riders have complained about routes that are less convenient, including longer travel times, reduced evening and weekend service, missed connections and confusing transfers.

Many Winnipeggers continue to experience late buses, overcrowded vehicles that pass stops without allowing passengers to board and, in some cases, buses that simply don’t show up. That problem existed long before last year’s network redesign.

Nothing destroys confidence in public transit faster than uncertainty.

If someone cannot depend on a bus to get to work, school or an appointment on time, they will eventually find another way to travel.

That’s what appears to be happening. Safety and security remain another major obstacle.

While the city has added community safety officers and recently announced a greater police presence on buses, many riders still do not feel comfortable using the system.

Reports of assaults on drivers, harassment of passengers and disorderly behaviour — including in bus shacks — continue to damage public confidence. Riders who feel unsafe are far less likely to use the system regularly, particularly during evenings and weekends.

Attracting riders requires more than route maps and marketing campaigns. People need service that is reliable, convenient, frequent and safe.

At the same time, Winnipeg Transit is being asked to accomplish all of this with inadequate funding.

The previous Progressive Conservative government severely reduced provincial support for municipal transit systems, ending the long-standing principle of equal provincial-municipal cost sharing.

That was a mistake. Public transit is not simply a municipal service. It is critical infrastructure that supports economic growth, reduces congestion, lowers emissions and connects people to jobs, education and health care.

The Manitoba government should restore the traditional 50-50 funding partnership and provide Winnipeg Transit with the stable resources it needs to improve service.

Still, more funding alone won’t solve every problem. Transit management must continue making adjustments to routes that are clearly not working and be willing to admit when changes have produced unintended consequences.

But better service requires investment. Transit needs more buses, more frequent and reliable service and up-to-date technology, including better fare-payment options that include credit and bank cards, as is the case in most other Canadian cities.

One year after the relaunch, the evidence is mounting that Winnipeg Transit’s overhaul has failed to attract the ridership gains that were expected and may have driven some existing customers away.

That’s not a reason to abandon the network redesign altogether. Large scale transformations often require adjustments and fine-tuning.

It is, however, a reason for honesty. The city should stop pretending the numbers are merely a temporary bump in the road. A projected $18.4-million fare revenue shortfall and double-digit ridership declines are not signs of success.

They’re warning signs. The sooner city hall acknowledges that reality, the sooner it can focus on fixing the problems that are keeping riders off Winnipeg’s buses.

tom.brodbeck@freepress.mb.camailto:tom.brodbeck@freepress.mb.ca