Taking the bus ‘just unbearable and stressful’

Bus rider Juan Fernandez has had enough of Winnipeg Transit’s new spine-and-feeder network after just five months and the onset of wintry weather.

Fernandez, a Transit customer since he moved to the city three years ago, said he’s going to buy a car because his work commute times are double what they used to be, when buses are on time.

“I’m looking at (a car) today because I’m done with the transit system,” he told the Free Press Wednesday. “Winnipeg had a very reliable transit system, and now it doesn’t. Now, it’s just unbearable and stressful.”

The return of freezing temperatures and snow hasn’t helped. While it hasn’t officially started yet, this is the first winter since the new network was introduced June 29.

Fernandez said the switch means he’s spending more time waiting for buses in the cold. The mild start to the season was manageable, but last week’s -30 wind chills were unbearable, he added.

Many passengers complained about the decision to replace the decades-old hub-and-spoke model because it significantly altered their routes or travel times. Some riders now have to take one or more additional buses.

The network change eliminated one of two buses Fernandez could take from a stop near his home to downtown, where he transfers to a different bus to complete his trip to work in the morning.

He now has to take an extra bus to get to or from the downtown transfer, and his commute has doubled to about 70 minutes each way. His travel times to the gym, stores and other destinations are longer.

“I don’t want to go anywhere now because it’s taking too long,” Fernandez said. “I feel very angry. I feel we’re just being pranked.”

He said buses on the F6 route are often so packed at peak times that people waiting at stops cannot board and have to wait for the next service.

Fernandez said the scenario happened to him one night at Isabel Street and William Avenue in the inner city, where he ended up being chased by a man, who appeared to be a drug user, while he waited for the next bus.

After the system overhaul was revealed in June, Mayra Manishigaki had to rethink her routes; basic trips — going to the supermarket, for example — suddenly went from travel on a single bus to what she describes as “almost impossible.”

Five months later, the self-described lover of public transit was bundled up in winter gear, waiting for her bus in Osborne Village. She said the cold was making a difficult change worse.

“It’s just terrible. You have to plan ahead, and usually in the winter, there are more late buses,” she said. “It’s kind of a bummer.”

Many of the stops Manishigaki uses during the day don’t offer weather protection from bus shacks. Helping riders stay warm while getting used to the changes would go a long way, she said.

“I just wish you could feel a little bit better, more comfortable,” she said. “Having a shack would mean a lot, especially during winter.”

Transit is making some changes, based on complaints or requests, when its winter schedule begins Sunday. Fernandez, who reported concerns to 311, doesn’t think his experience will improve.

Late-night service is expanding to most on-request zones, some schedules are being rewritten and trips are being added to some busier routes.

“I don’t want to go anywhere now because it’s taking too long.”

“I really hope it makes a significant difference, but there are many different issues that people have,” said Coun. Janice Lukes, chair of the city’s public works committee, which oversees Winnipeg Transit. “For certain people, this is going to be fantastic. For certain people, it’s not yet what they want.”

Lukes (Waverley West) said Transit has never undergone such a fundamental change. She encouraged riders to continue to submit feedback because it will help to improve the network. More changes are expected in the spring.

“We know there are issues because no change is perfect, but we are working to resolve it,” she said. “The spine-and-feeder system is a much better system to make changes and adjustments to.”

Transfers are an integral part of the new system, and that’s not going to change, she added.

Lukes, a Transit user, said she has received positive feedback from riders alongside the negative, and she expects good results in the long-term.

She said more bus shelters will be added next year based on customer feedback and an analysis by staff.

Transit had shelters at 705 of 3,825 stops as of Wednesday, compared with 880 at 5,170 stops at the end of 2024, spokesman Brandon Logan said.

The total number of stops was cut when the new network launched.

Logan said Transit is assessing the condition of 150 shelters that were removed from cancelled stops to find out which ones can be installed at an in-service stop as soon as possible.

Chris Scott, president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1505, which represents the city’s bus drivers, said members are happy with the new master plan because it is designed to help them remain on time and take breaks, barring delays caused by construction or weather.

It appears most of the frustration among riders has been directed at department heads or council members, rather than front-line Transit staff, he said.

“We know there are issues because no change is perfect, but we are working to resolve it.”

“Understandably, humans as a species are averse to change but we are very adaptable, and I think that will be the case here as time progresses,” Scott said. “Provided that the elected officials and department heads continue to respond to the issues that the riding public face, I think this system can grow to be far better than what the old system ended up being.”

Downtown Winnipeg Business Improvement Zone recently launched an online survey to find out how the network is affecting people who live, work or visit the area.

“We’ve heard anecdotally that changes to the Winnipeg Transit network have increased commute times and are making it more challenging for people to get to and move through downtown,” spokeswoman Olivia Billson said. “We hope to gain further insights and ideas where improvements could be made to the system in the future.”

Survey results will be shared with the city, she said.

— With files from Malak Abas

chris.kitching@freepress.mb.ca