Extending bus service to outlying areas on the table: Lukes

A trio of new proposals to extend Winnipeg Transit service would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars each.

New staff recommendations call on city council to approve more staff and money to extend service from Linden Woods to the Oak Park and Shaftesbury high schools, while adding service to Highland Pointe, off McPhillips Street, and Festival Drive in Headingley.

Coun. Janice Lukes, chairwoman of public works, expects the changes will be referred to the city’s next budget process, though she’s not sure how they’ll fare against other priorities.

“I am very… confident that we will be extending bus hours later. So, I am not sure how these transit routes are going to get prioritized because… in the budget process, we’ll have to figure out what we fund and what we don’t,” said Lukes.

“We’re hearing loud and clear from residents that they can’t get home (at night), the bus schedule is not running as late as it should,” she added.

Lukes said it’s not yet clear how much later night-time transit service could be extended, where that would take place or how much it would cost.

“I totally expect we’re going to hear something so that we can work that into the budget process and have that decided by this December,” she said.

The head of the union for Winnipeg Transit drivers said any improvements to service are welcome but he also believes extending service hours should be the top priority.

“The most consistent problem that we’ve been hearing, aside from walking distance to the stops, is how early the community (feeder route) service ends and switches to on-demand service,” said Chris Scott, president of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1505.

Scott said some riders have complained they no longer had transportation home from work due to the shorter service hours.

Lukes noted the route extension proposals follow concerns about the new network not offering sufficient services in specific parts of the city.

“There’s a need in all of these areas,” she said.

The councillor noted large amounts of development in the city’s northwest have added residents in the Highland Pointe area, while service changes could better connect hundreds of students to Oak Park and Shaftesbury high schools. Other changes could bring visitors to growing development along Festival Drive.

“I want people to ride the bus so I’d support all of (the changes) if we had the money, extending the night hours, more buses, all of it. But we’re going to have to weigh it all out and prioritize (the options),” said Lukes.

Specifically, a new proposal calls to extend Route 334 Watson-Dr. Jose Rizal to Highland Pointe, which would require 4.4 new staff positions and add $304,035 in operating costs in 2026 (if implemented in June) and $634,895 in 2027. It would also require $135,000 in new capital spending.

Another set of recommendations would extend Route 22 Portage to Festival Drive, which would require 6.1 new staff positions and increase operating costs by $372,051 in 2026 (if started in June) and $775,181 in 2027. It would also add $79,200 in capital costs.

The third set of proposed changes would better connect Linden Woods to Oak Park and Shaftesbury high schools, with three key route changes. These would include: extending Route 641 Lindenwoods West to connect to Highland Pointe; adjusting coverage of Route 885 Rannock–Westwood; and eliminating the service of Route 223 Charleswood-Cavalier. Those changes would require 1.9 new staff positions, $177,924 more in operating funding in 2026 (if started in June) and $370,134 in 2027, with no additional capital costs.

For this school year, the Pembina Trails School division has hired charter buses to serve the two high schools, which is paid for by rider fees.

A request to interview Winnipeg Transit staff was not granted on Friday.

In an email, Winnipeg Transit spokesman Brandon Logan said the Charleswood-Cavalier route would be eliminated as part of the Linden Woods changes because the extended routes would cover the same area it does.

Logan noted the new primary transit network, which was implemented on June 29, was limited to redesigning existing service, not to extending it.

“There was no budget increase to extend service to new neighbourhoods so that matter was not looked at as part of the new network configuration,” he wrote.

Lukes said future transit changes will reflect public feedback, so it’s important that anyone who calls to complain about the service provides as much detail as possible.

“I highly encourage people to call … It’s really important that people don’t (just) say they hate it, (they should) tell us why they hate it,” she said.

The councillor said transit’s scheduling system is complex and integrated, so any schedule or route change can have a ripple effect throughout the network.

“Things can’t be switched in a day or two. They have to be analyzed,” said Lukes

Council’s public works committee will consider the route extension requests on Sept. 11.

joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca

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