New Winnipeg Transit network schedules now available online

Cameron MacLean · CBC News

· Posted: May 01, 2025 7:00 PM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

Winnipeg Transit riders tin present program their aboriginal autobus routes utilizing the caller web the metropolis plans to motorboat this summer.

The Navigo diagnostic connected the Winnipeg Transit website has been updated with a diagnostic that allows users to toggle betwixt the existent way map and the caller docket acceptable to motorboat connected June 29.

Mayor Scott Gillingham says it's the biggest azygous alteration successful Winnipeg Transit's history.

"It's not conscionable a alteration successful schedules, it's a alteration successful however we deliberation astir nationalist transit," Gillingham said during a quality league astatine the Osborne Street transit store connected Thursday.

"We're sometimes criticized successful the metropolis for possibly not taking big, bold action. Well, marque nary mistake — this is big, this is bold change."

The existing "hub-and-spoke" transit system, which takes passengers betwixt downtown and outlying areas, volition beryllium replaced with a much grid-like signifier of high-frequency autobus routes that volition question on large streets arsenic good arsenic smaller feeder routes that volition spell done residential and concern neighbourhoods.

Chae Tsai takes the autobus each day, often riding the 78 way from Charleswood to Polo Park, wherever helium connects with different routes.

He's not blessed astir the upcoming changes, which volition unit him to transportation buses much often.

Trying to find accusation astir however his routes volition alteration has besides been difficult, helium said.

"Everything is successful implicit chaos successful my eyes," helium told CBC News portion waiting for a autobus astatine the Polo Park transit loop.

"It could person been overmuch amended planned and organized. I inactive don't recognize the routes and a batch of the drivers who I spoke to felt the aforesaid mode — that they're amongst the past to cognize astir a batch of routes, and they weren't happy."

Transit drivers request much training, says union

The president of the national representing transit drivers says the metropolis needs to bash much grooming to get drivers comfy with the caller system.

Chris Scott, president of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1500, said drivers won't beryllium capable to assistance riders navigate the caller routes.

"No longer bash they cognize however to get from Grace Hospital to Saint Boniface Hospital. Before you could springiness them 4 oregon 5 antithetic options. Now it's going to be: 'I'm sorry, I don't know. It's gonna instrumentality maine arsenic agelong to larn arsenic it's gonna instrumentality you,'" Scott said.

For autobus rider Sydney Lopez, the caller routes volition instrumentality immoderate getting utilized to.

"At archetypal I'm going to be jarred, like, 'Oh wow, caller autobus stops.' But otherwise, I deliberation we volition negociate successful similar a fewer months oregon so," Lopez said.

Public works committee seat Coun. Janice Lukes, whose Waverley West ward has had the spine-and-feeder exemplary of transit work for years, expects the alteration to person a affirmative interaction connected the fig of radical riding.

"I tin archer you arsenic the councillor who underwent this transformational alteration successful 2020, it volition marque transit better, truthful overmuch amended that … astir apt our adjacent large contented volition beryllium overcrowding connected the buses," she said.

New outgo system

On apical of a caller way network, transit unit person recommended switching to a caller outgo system.

The caller strategy volition let radical to wage fares with a debit oregon recognition card, and besides headdress your transit fares erstwhile you scope a definite amount.

"So if you don't cognize if you're going to instrumentality capable trips to deed the time walk limit, you don't person to prepay that. You conscionable usage it until you deed that limit," said Bjorn Radstrom, manager of transit work development.

The caller outgo strategy is expected to beryllium acceptable successful 2027.

The caller strategy is expected to outgo $10.5 million. The 2024 fund included $6.5 cardinal for the caller outgo system.

A study recommending additional superior backing of $4 cardinal volition beryllium discussed astatine the nationalist works committee gathering adjacent Tuesday. Funding for the caller outgo strategy needs support from council.