City to take back 30 per cent of Transit Plus
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 30/10/2021 (1525 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
UP to 30 per cent of Winnipeg Transit Plus service is slated to be provided by city staff, starting in 2024.
A motion to bring between 22 and 30 per cent of that service in-house by Jan. 1 of that year passed in a 10-to-6 council vote Thursday evening. At present, the entire accessible transit service is contracted out to private operators.
Coun. Brian Mayes has long pushed for the change, arguing a switch to some public operations would create competition for the private sector. That, he expects, would spark service improvements and help control the cost of the remaining private contracts.
“The cost per ride has shot up and what this does is it tunes up the private operators. It says, ‘If you’re going (to not meet standards), we reserve the right to bring (service) back in house,’” Mayes said.
The St. Vital councillor said the cost per ride for Transit Plus rose to $27.81 in 2019 from $22.74 in 2015, indicating competition solely between private businesses has not prevented prices from rising.
He notes both drivers and riders have filed major complaints about the service in recent years, including a drivers’ petition for the city to improve working conditions in January. The drivers alleged some contractors didn’t get adequate breaks and were concerned about vehicle maintenance.
“This should help improve service,” said Mayes.
Mayor Brian Bowman opposed the idea, along with councillors Scott Gillingham, Jeff Browaty, John Orlikow, Janice Lukes and Kevin Klein.
Bowman told council the change could greatly increase the city’s cost to provide the service.
“This will increase the size of government and we know it will increase the costs to taxpayers. The most recent report that we have from our public service estimates an additional cost, on an annual basis, of over $2 million. I suspect… that the cost will be greater than that,” said Bowman.
joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca
Twitter: @joyanne_pursaga
Joyanne is city hall reporter for the Winnipeg Free Press. A reporter since 2004, she began covering politics exclusively in 2012, writing on city hall and the Manitoba Legislature for the Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in early 2020. Read more about Joyanne.
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Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Joyanne is city hall reporter for the Winnipeg Free Press. A reporter since 2004, she began covering politics exclusively in 2012, writing on city hall and the Manitoba Legislature for the Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in early 2020. Read more about Joyanne.
Every piece of reporting Joyanne produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.
Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber.
Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
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