Natural navigator

St. Vital

Winnipeg

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 29/01/2025 (557 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It’s fair to say Asher Kunkel has been suitably mobilized to achieve his public transportation mission.

On Jan. 4, the 15-year-old south St. Vital resident reached a personal milestone when — joined by his mother, Tamara, father Jeremy, and younger brother Tobias — he completed his quest to ride every single bus route on the Winnipeg Transit system.

Jeremy said Asher “began to exercise his fascination with Winnipeg Transit” in September 2022, when he began exploring different bus routes across the city — on his own, just for fun. This included travelling to the newest and oldest stops in the city, and the furthest stops to the north, east, south, and west, as well as visiting all the streets with “Ash” in their name.

“That day (Jan. 4) meant I’d ridden every single route, all 90 of them, every single one,” said Asher, noting he’s had a love of geography and maps for some time.

“It felt very good. It was a good achievement.”

Asher was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder when he was three or four, Jeremy said, adding that the teen has come a long way since then.

He now speaks English and French fluently, plays violin, and is a member of several choirs at school, as well as the Winnipeg Boys’ Choir. His resume of interests extends to baking and cooking, and his passion for geography means he can name every nation on the globe, as well as countless data and statistics relating to each of them.

Lots of Asher’s journeys have culminated with him getting off the bus and exploring different neighbourhoods, all while keeping detailed records of his adventures. This has led to an interest in the design and engineering elements of different neighbourhoods, and Asher hopes to continue to develop his interest at university in areas such as urban and regional planning, or civil engineering.

As well, the teen has attended a number of public consultations in relation to the upcoming Winnipeg Transit route changes that will take affect later this year, and he was pleased that certain suggestions he made at the consultations will be incorporated into future versions of the 2025 plan, Jeremy said.

When asked if he had a favourite Winnipeg bus route while undertaking his mission, Asher said he enjoyed different aspects of different ones.

“I liked lots of them,” said the Collège Jeanne-Sauvé student, noting he enjoyed venturing on to the Perimeter Highway on a bus for the first time.

“I liked any route that allowed me to see a new community.”

There was also a social element to Asher’s travels — he became familiar to many of the city’s bus operators, some of whom would become concerned and ask if he was OK (he’d reply that he was, and that he was riding the bus for the experience) — and he also helped direct other bus riders when the situation arose.

“At times, I helped people get on their way and go to where they were going to,” Asher said. “It was nice to speak to people, and lots of different people with different backgrounds use the bus.”

Asher has also become a passionate advocate for travelling by transit, and hopes his experiences might encourage others to buy some bus tickets.

“It’s been a good experience, and the good experiences have definitely outweighed the bad,” he said. “Buses are important, and public transit is important, and it should be utilized more in the city.”

“Another goal in my life is to never own a car. I’ll keep using the transit system,” he added.

Jeremy noted the last time the family travelled, Asher proved himself to be an ace navigator, using hard-copy maps to help navigate a journey that encompassed two provinces and five states.

He added his eldest son still has his struggles with autism — “sometimes subtle and sometimes profound, but we’re very proud of him and amazed at the young man he has become and is still becoming.”

Switching gears to travelling on two wheels, Asher hopes to one day bike all of the Trans Canada Trail in Winnipeg.

Of course, the eventual changes to the Winnipeg Transit system may also provide Asher with a platform for a whole new adventure.