No more free rides Fare evasion crackdown results in more than 11,000 Transit trips denied By: Joyanne Pursaga Posted: 6:22 PM CDT Thursday, Jun. 4, 2026

More than 11,000 bus rides have been denied since a Winnipeg Transit crackdown began on riders who don’t pay fares.

A crackdown on bus riders who don’t pay their fares is getting credit for preventing thousands of free Winnipeg Transit rides.

Passengers who intended to board Winnipeg Transit buses without payment, as assessed by community safety officers and Transit inspectors, were denied rides about 11,700 times through a fare enforcement program since July 2025, a city report notes.

Coun. Janice Lukes, chairwoman of public works, says the enforcement program is being welcomed by drivers and riders, while those who can’t pay are not simply turned away.

“We’ve just had spectacular feedback from the transit drivers, spectacular feedback from the public. (Passengers know) you have to pay to ride the bus. We’ve got so many subsidized programs. If people can’t pay, we’ll help them figure out what program … that they can afford,” said Lukes (Waverley West). “There’s a lot of support being offered, it’s really not just kicking people off the bus.”

Those conducting enforcement may refer vulnerable people to the Downtown Community Safety Partnership for support, or even provide rides to help them seek services at nearby clinics, she said.

Winnipeg Transit inspectors recorded 2,878 denied bus rides, plus 1,083 instances where individuals chose to walk away instead of boarding, between July 2025 and April 20.

“There’s a lot of support being offered, it’s really not just kicking people off the bus.”

The city’s community safety team, a key security presence on buses, recorded another 8,816 denied rides and 6,313 “walkaways” between Jan. 1 and April 20. Results of that team’s 2025 enforcement were not included in the report.

The city has said it loses between $7 million and $10 million in revenue each year due to Transit fare evasion.

Officials stressed the crackdown on skipped payments is also meant to make buses safer.

The head of the union that represents Winnipeg bus drivers said that’s a key reason many drivers support fare enforcement.

“For one thing, 90 per cent of our assaults (on drivers) are caused by people who did not pay the fare … It needs to be done,” said James Van Gerwen, president of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1505.

Van Gerwen said the union counted 265 security incidents on buses in 2025 and 112 more this year so far. That figure counts a variety of issues, including all types of assault, attempted assault and verbal threats, as well as steering wheel grabs, shield punches, spitting, attempted robbery, theft, property damage, open liquor, drinks being poured on drivers and use of bear repellent spray.

Drivers are also concerned about the money Winnipeg Transit loses due to fare evasion, which could otherwise by spent on enhancing bus service, he said.

“A lot of the budget relies upon the fares … If we want a transit system that’s running efficiently, (those millions of dollars) would go a long way in supplying extra buses, better buses and the operators to (drive them),” said Van Gerwen.

The report also shows Transit inspectors issued just 35 bylaw tickets for fare evasion since July 2025.

“90 per cent of our assaults (on drivers) are caused by people who did not pay the fare … It needs to be done.”

Lukes said penalties are not the focus of the program.

“They’re really trying to educate people and talk them through it. This isn’t about issuing tickets. If they can’t pay for the bus fare, they’re not going to be able to pay for that ticket,” she said.

The councillor said enforcement appears to have happened smoothly for the most part.

“There weren’t a lot of altercations. What they tell us is that people, when they see that there’s fare enforcement … they either pay or they don’t take the bus. It acts as a real deterrent to negative situations,” said Lukes.

Winnipeg Transit did not grant an interview request Thursday.

In an email, spokeswoman Megan Benedictson said it’s not yet clear how much fare enforcement has reduced Transit revenue losses.

“Our fare revenue is also influenced by multiple other factors. We simple can’t say with confidence how many people who are denied rides are returning next time to pay willingly, and what this means for our bottom line,” wrote Benedictson.

Anecdotally, it appears bus drivers are reporting fewer people not paying since enforcement began, she added.

Meanwhile, Lukes said the city is seeking funding from the provincial and federal governments to equip buses with full driver shields, replacing partial ones the city installed in 2019.

“We’re closer than we’ve ever been to determining who’s coming to the table with funding,” she said.

Lukes said the new shields are expected to cost about $15 million and the city will consider its portion of the funding in the 2027 budget.

She believes city councillors support that change, which would allow polycarbonate (shatter resistant) driver enclosures to be added to the bus fleet.

“We work very closely with the union and … they want full enclosures, so that’s what we’re going to be looking at,” said Lukes.

Van Gerwen said the change is needed as soon as possible.

“We found that (the) shields that are there right now are inadequate. (People can) still can reach around the shield, they still can grab the steering wheels, they can throw things at the operators. It’s a hazard,” he said. “Full enclosures (do) reduce the assaults on the driver and make it a safer environment.”

joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca

X: @joyanne_pursaga