Winnipeg bus riders 'trying to be open-minded' about new transit network

Cameron MacLean · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 30, 2025 6:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 6 hours ago

Winnipeggers present person a caller autobus network, which volition mean learning new routes, stops and autobus numbers. 

On Sunday, Winnipeg Transit launched its caller 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.

While the changes lone took effect connected Sunday, 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.

Transit users CBC spoke with past week, earlier the caller routes began operating, raised concerns — but immoderate besides said they were consenting to springiness the changes a chance.

Katherine Morgan, a retiree surviving successful southbound St. Vital, says she's had a passionateness for nationalist transportation ever since moving connected a schoolhouse task astir it successful Grade 12, and uses the autobus to get conscionable astir everywhere.

She expects the new autobus web to travel with both benefits and drawbacks for her.

"I americium trying to beryllium open-minded," she said.

The redesign has reduced the full fig of stops successful Transit's network, removing astir 1,700 of the 5,200 stops successful the metropolis and installing astir 460 caller ones, for a full of astir 4,000 autobus stops.

"It's rather a fewer stops that [they're] taking. It seems to beryllium each the stops that I use," Morgan said.

However, she often rides the autobus to Princess Auto Stadium, wherever she volunteers, and said that ride will beryllium shorter acknowledgment to respective removed stops.

But she says her thrust home, which is often aft 9 p.m., volition impact a 15-minute locomotion from the nearest stop, whereas before, she could get disconnected astatine a stop close successful beforehand of her home.

"That's beauteous frustrating. I don't privation to beryllium walking location 15 minutes successful the dark, trying not to trip."

Jarod Strelnikow says helium rode the autobus each time for astir 20 years, but bought a motortruck aft learning the bus he rode location to The Maples would halt moving earlier the extremity of his evening displacement arsenic a health-care aide.

"You tin person reliable autobus work each you want, but if you're not moving it precocious into the evening, oregon into the night, it's useless," helium said.

More transfers but shorter trips: Transit

While the caller web relies connected passengers transferring buses 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.

But some Morgan and Strelnikow raised concerns about the problems much predominant transfers and longer walks could airs for radical who person disabilities, elderly riders or parents with children.

Bjorn Radstrom, Winnipeg Transit's manager of work delivery, acknowledged rider concerns astir issues similar however precocious buses volition run, but says anonymized cellphone information was utilized to way wherever passengers were coming from and going to.

"There's a batch of areas wherever ridership really, truly drops disconnected after, say, 10:30 astatine night. And lone a fistful of radical ... are taking the autobus for the past 2 oregon 3 hours of service. And it's conscionable not financially sustainable to support operating," helium said.

While immoderate radical volition person to transportation much frequently, he says the accrued frequence of the routes, and the information that astir routes person less turns and debar downtown, volition mean full travel times are shorter.

"Just due to the fact that there's a transfer doesn't needfully mean it volition instrumentality longer," helium said.

"And also, due to the fact that we're focusing the frequence connected the large corridors, particularly if you're transferring from a superior web enactment to a superior web line, you won't truly person overmuch of a wait."

Rick Theriault, different regular transit user, said past week helium wasn't definite however the caller web would impact his commute.

"We'll spot what happens. It looks confusing," helium said.

Radstrom encouraged anyone unsure astir the caller routes to try online tools to program their trips, including Transit's Navigo trip planner, the Winnipeg Transit app oregon Google Maps.

Blue-vested Winnipeg Transit "travel trainers" volition besides beryllium going around to stops on large routes, helping radical navigate the system.

Winnipeg Transit says it volition taxable yearly work plans to the city, based connected feedback from the nationalist done 311 and different sources, which volition beryllium utilized to marque adjustments to routes, work levels and operating hours.

For now, Morgan says she'll effort retired the caller strategy before casting a last judgment.

"Maybe at the extremity of the time … aft 3 months, we'll say, 'Hey, this is really moving better.' I'm hoping so."