City rolls out 'complete overhaul' of transit system

Dave Baxter · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 29, 2025 11:55 AM EDT | Last Updated: 14 minutes ago

The metropolis rolled retired its marque caller transit web connected Sunday, a change the politician calls the largest successful much than a period for Winnipeg Transit.

"We're not conscionable tweaking transit, it's a implicit overhaul," Winnipeg Mayor Scott Gillingham said. 

Gillingham joined Coun. Janice Lukes and others Sunday greeting to thrust the archetypal in-service autobus of Winnipeg's marque caller network, which near Portage Avenue and Spence Street astatine 5:32 a.m.

The motorboat of the caller web means Winnipeg Transit volition acquisition what the metropolis is calling the astir "significant single-day transformation" successful the system's 142 twelvemonth history. 

It replaces the city's existing "hub-and-spoke" system, with a much grid-like "spine-and-feeder" model, featuring high-frequency routes on large roads, connected to smaller routes moving done residential areas, according to the city. 

"So it's each going to instrumentality clip to adjust, but we request a modern transit work for a modern increasing city," Gillingham said. 

According to the city, the web was successful request of an overhaul due to the fact that the erstwhile strategy was based chiefly connected radical going to and coming from downtown. 

"The metropolis colonisation has reached 850,000 now, so we proceed to grow, we request a good, reliable, predominant transit work to marque things better, and that's what this is each about."

The politician admitted determination could beryllium immoderate hiccups with the caller strategy due to the fact that of however antithetic everything volition present be, but helium urged patience arsenic transit riders and drivers adjust. 

"Be diligent with our operators too," helium said. "For our transit drivers, this is each caller for them too. 

"To their credit, they've been getting acceptable for this day."

The politician says his ain autobus way volition besides change, arsenic helium antecedently took a azygous autobus to get to City Hall, but volition present transportation to a 2nd autobus to get to work, and said others who antecedently rode a nonstop autobus to enactment downtown whitethorn present person to transportation connected to a 2nd bus. 

"We each request to set a small bit," helium said. 

According to Lukes, the metropolis isn't going into the caller strategy without preparation, arsenic it's been running as a aviator task successful the southwest country of the metropolis since 2020. 

"So we've been piloting this alteration for astir 4 years, and present we're acceptable to alteration the city," Lukes said. "Better frequence means amended service, and that's what we privation connected our buses."  

She added officials person deemed the aviator task successful southwest Winnipeg a "success" due to the fact that ridership successful the country is up.

Lukes says the metropolis volition measure the occurrence of the caller strategy successful galore ways, 1 of which is measuring a potential increase successful transit ridership city-wide. 

"That's going to beryllium chiefly 1 of the milestone marking points," she said. "And due to the fact that of what radical person experienced successful southwest Winnipeg, I deliberation radical are going to clasp it and emotion it."

The metropolis is asking anyone with questions oregon complaints astir the caller strategy to interaction 311 oregon their typical connected metropolis council. 

Winnipeggers tin program their trips with the caller web connected Navigo oregon by downloading the Transit App, the metropolis said. 

For much accusation astir the autobus system, sojourn winnipeg.ca/primarytransitnetwork.