Klein promises fixes to Winnipeg Transit network overhaul failures

A mayoral candidate is promising to restore at least 150 previously removed bus stops, extend Winnipeg Transit service to later hours and guarantee front-door bus dropoffs at acute-care hospitals.

In his Wednesday “Bring the Bus Back” announcement, Kevin Klein said Winnipeg Transit’s bus network overhaul, which has been in place for the past 16 months, has left some passengers stranded, with fewer stops and shorter hours at night.

“We need an effective, efficient… transit system that is safe, in order to grow, in order to expand,” said Klein.

The new primary transit network was part of the Winnipeg Transit Master Plan city council approved in 2021. Klein was the city councillor for Charleswood-Tuxedo-Westwood at the time and voted against the plan.

“I was worried about the changes. I was worried they were happening too fast. I was worried there was not enough consultation and a lack of stops that would create pain and issues for those that ride transit,” he said.

The new primary transit network reduced the number of bus stops to approximately 3,800 from about 5,100, reduced the number of routes to 71 from 87 and cut late-night service hours in many areas.

“I’ve talked to some staff at the outlet mall and other places who are not capable of getting a bus when their shift ends,” said Klein.

Those complaints came just three weeks ago, indicating some riders remain stranded, he said.

“I’ve talked to some staff at the outlet mall and other places who are not capable of getting a bus when their shift ends.”

Winnipeg Transit has added some late-night service hours to 10 on-request routes and 11 fixed ones since implementing the new network, Winnipeg Transit spokeswoman Patricia Bal confirmed late Wednesday afternoon. There are currently 3,895 bus stops, Bal noted in an email.

Within 120 days of taking office, Klein said he would direct Winnipeg Transit to review every bus stop removed in 2025, assessing proximity to hospitals, clinics, seniors residences, care homes and schools. Priority would also be given to stops in neighbourhoods that lost the most service through the switch to the new network.

Those deemed to be the 150 “highest-need” stops would resume service by fall 2027.

Klein promised to also extend service hours for routes that connect hospitals and neighbourhoods that lost late-night buses.

That would ensure a bus stop is available at or near the main entrance of all acute-care hospitals seven days a week “from before the morning shift change until after the late-evening one,” he said.

“A nurse facing a late shift should be able to count on a bus to get home,” he said.

“A nurse facing a late shift should be able to count on a bus to get home.”

Transit would publish a quarterly report detailing every restored stop and hour of service added.

Klein also vowed to make private Transit advisory committee meetings public and require the group to include riders. That committee recommends strategies to improve Winnipeg Transit safety.

“We need to hear from people that are having problems with the service so that we can fix it,” he said, adding that he expects the promises to cost between $5 million and $7.7 million annually, once fully implemented.

That price accounts for 150 more stops, though the city will likely need to add many more, which would add to the tab, said Klein.

Meanwhile, mayoral candidate Don Woodstock said he would reform Winnipeg’s building permit system, making it easier and faster to obtain them.

Building bylaws would be rewritten in “plain language,” with standard submission checklists and the city would offer digital templates for common do-it-yourself home projects (such as building a deck or finishing a basement).

Woodstock said a risk-based system would prioritize reviews based on safety, while a simplified process would make people more likely to apply for a permit.

“Now, you’re encouraging people to do the right thing,” he said.

New target timelines would see the city aim to provide simple permits within five days, approve occupancy permits within two days and respond to inquiries in two business days.

Inspectors would be required to call, text and email when they arrive to inspect a site, while also providing a date-stamped door-tag notice, with photo proof that they have done so. If an inspector fails to follow those steps, or misses a scheduled appointment without at least two hours’ notice, the property owner would receive a $150 credit.

Election Day is Oct. 28.

joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca

X: @joyanne_pursaga

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Joyanne Pursaga
Reporter

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.