'It sucks' or 'it was due for a change'? Winnipeg bus riders give their takes on new transit network

CBC News

· Posted: Jun 30, 2025 2:51 PM EDT | Last Updated: 33 minutes ago

Some radical successful Winnipeg are struggling with the city's recently revamped transit strategy connected the archetypal weekday aft its rollout — but others accidental they're consenting to springiness the caller routes a chance, contempt immoderate hiccups.

On Sunday, Winnipeg Transit launched its superior transit network, which it calls the astir important single-day translation successful its history. 

It replaces the city's decades-old "hub-and-spoke" model, wherever buses meandered done outlying neighbourhoods earlier heading downtown. In the caller "spine-and-feeder" system, buses travel a much grid-like pattern, with straighter routes on large arteries, and smaller feeder routes connecting to residential areas.

Transit rider Lisa Mittelstadt says the changes tack an other 20 minutes onto her enactment commute each mode — making a one-way travel astir an hr and a fractional long. On Monday, it besides meant taking 3 buses to get from Westwood to her occupation successful southbound Winnipeg.

"I had to revamp my full docket astir it," Mittelstadt said, waiting for a autobus adjacent CF Polo Park mall. "I conscionable anticipation radical talk retired and fto the metropolis cognize however they're feeling astir it, if it's bully oregon if it's bad, and marque the adjustments accordingly if they request to."

Fellow transit rider Kim Tychuk enactment it much bluntly, portion waiting for a autobus nearby.

"I deliberation it sucks," said Tychuk, who has to instrumentality 4 buses to get to enactment and location each day. "I conscionable privation it backmost the mode it was."

But not everyone was disappointed with the changes. Bo Karaman took the autobus to spell buying connected Sunday, erstwhile the caller strategy rolled out, and was blessed with the thrust and the blue-vested Winnipeg Transit "travel trainers" astatine stops on large routes, helping radical navigate the system.

"It was owed for a change, I guess, and present we are…. People don't truly similar change, but I conjecture we're going to person to endure with it for a while," Karaman said portion waiting for a autobus connected Osborne Street.

"I deliberation it should work. But I mean, you know, astir radical person anxieties and fears of the unknown, right?"

While the changes lone precocious took effect, the program has been successful the works for years. Winnipeg Transit posted the caller schedules online weeks ago, adding a diagnostic to its website that allowed riders to program their trips utilizing the caller routes, and has been changing signage to hole riders.

Bus rider Katherine Morgan said she saw immoderate things that could beryllium improved erstwhile she took a autobus Sunday to Assiniboine Park. 

While the thrust determination was straightforward, determination was occupation connected the thrust backmost erstwhile the 2nd autobus she got connected was a spot late, making her miss the 3rd 1 she was expected to transportation to. By the clip she arrived to drawback the 3rd bus, the adjacent 1 was 64 minutes distant — truthful she conscionable walked the remainder of the mode back.

"It is simply a concern, and I bash consciousness the metropolis someway has to hole that," Morgan said portion waiting for a autobus successful southbound Winnipeg. "And I consciousness for those who person mobility challenges, those who person young children — they can't hold 64 minutes."

Those are immoderate of the aforesaid concerns raised by Heather Scott and Lana Ponting, who unrecorded astatine the Riverside Lions seniors residence connected Worthington Avenue successful St. Vital.

Scott said she takes the autobus regular to get to appointments and the mall, and with the caller changes she'll person to locomotion a batch much to get to and from her destination. But due to the fact that she has epilepsy, she worries astir having a seizure portion retired walking connected her ain truthful much.

"They request to rethink what they're doing and commencement reasoning astir however seniors are going to get around, and radical with mobility and aesculapian issues," Scott said.

Ponting said portion she lone uses the autobus occasionally, she thinks the changes made to Winnipeg's transit web "is not just to the seniors successful the city," galore of whom volition person to locomotion much to get around.

"I'm not saying I can't — I could. But that's not the point. The constituent is, wherefore instrumentality distant a autobus halt erstwhile you've got loads of seniors successful this gathering and different buildings successful the city? The buses should beryllium accessible to everyone," Ponting said.

A Winnipeg Transit spokesperson told CBC News connected Monday it is looking astatine reinstating the autobus halt astatine Worthington Avenue and St. Anne's Road, on with 1 connected the different broadside of St. Anne's Road, for the autumn season.

"Feedback won't needfully override strategical decisions based connected balance, safety, and different considerations. But wherever a lawsuit tin beryllium made connected those factors, halt locations whitethorn beryllium reconsidered," the spokesperson stated successful an email.

While the caller web relies connected passengers transferring much often and walking longer distances to get to stops, Winnipeg Transit has said it volition beryllium much reliable and businesslike acknowledgment to straighter routes, less stops and routes that debar travelling done congested downtown traffic.

As for what Ponting thinks of that?

"I'll judge that erstwhile I spot it," she said. "I don't recognize what they're trying to do. We trust connected the bus, a batch of radical do. And seniors particularly should beryllium considered."