\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/4010456_web1_transit-poll-overall-250226.jpg\")
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n
The survey \u2014 which compiled data from 1,395 bus users over six weeks \u2014 says commute times downtown have increased by an average 22 minutes.<\/p>\n
One-third of respondents said their trip downtown takes at least an hour \u2014 10 times more riders with an hour-plus bus commute than under the old system.<\/p>\n
Seventy per cent said they visit downtown less now, and half said when they do, they often seek other ways to reach the city\u2019s core, such as booking an Uber.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe level of dissatisfaction \u2014 that is dire,\u201d said Coun. Sherri Rollins. \u201cWinnipeggers are\u2026 voting with their feet. They\u2019re not taking transit anymore. We\u2019re losing revenue.\u201d<\/p>\n
Survey findings show the length of time to get downtown, the number of transfers required and the location of new bus stops are top complaints for commuters.<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t It\u2019s the case for Maruna Litvinova: what was once a one-bus trip from the Corydon area to Red River College Polytechnic has become a two-bus endeavour with a 20-minute wait in between.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen it\u2019s (minus) 34 C, it\u2019s not OK,\u201d Litvinova said with a laugh.<\/p>\n The Downtown Winnipeg BIZ released its survey findings Wednesday. Simultaneously, the City of Winnipeg announced its spring transit schedule, which includes more buses on the road and later bus services, beginning April 12.<\/p>\n Winnipeg Transit will propose route changes to city council next week that affect downtown routes; changes would take effect in June.<\/p>\n Extending the D19-Corydon line \u2014 so buses will end their routes on Vaughan Street between Graham and St. Mary avenues, instead of further north across Portage Avenue at Webb Place \u2014 is on the agenda. The proposed change was suggested by a Graham Avenue business owner, said Kate Fenske, chief executive of the Downtown Winnipeg BIZ.<\/p>\n The D16 Academy-Notre Dame line may be split into two. A revised D16 and new D18 would reach downtown via different routes, from Polo Park and RRC Polytech\u2019s Notre Dame campus, respectively.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not about looking (at), \u2018How do we go backwards,\u2019 but \u2018How do we move forward?\u2019\u201d Fenske said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re hoping that the city is making changes as quickly as they can, because it is having an impact on downtown businesses and people that want to get here.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\t\tWinnipeg Free Press | Newsletter\n\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t The BIZ has had \u201cproductive conversations\u201d with Winnipeg Transit and city officials regarding the new network, Fenske added.<\/p>\n Manitobans took the Probe survey between Dec. 2 and Jan. 15. It was a self-selecting survey, meaning people could enter via social media and the BIZ\u2019s website, among other channels.<\/p>\n The data may skew towards people with negative views of the transit system, Mayor Scott Gillingham said.<\/p>\n \u201cNonetheless, we value the feedback,\u201d he said, pointing to the proposed network changes.<\/p>\n He called last year\u2019s overhaul the \u201cright decision\u201d but said he\u2019s not pleased with how it\u2019s been rolled out.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re having to make a lot of adjustments, but we will make the adjustments,\u201d Gillingham said. \u201cWe\u2019ll keep\u2026 retooling the transit system until we get it right.\u201d<\/p>\n Winnipeg Transit will use survey feedback, ridership and \u201cpass-up\u201d data \u2014 when a bus is too crowded and bypasses stops \u2014 as it tweaks its network, said Adam Budowski, senior transit planner for the city. Winnipeg Transit can now use GPS data; its system faltered over a period of months ending earlier this year, wreaking havoc on bus schedules.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ll keep\u2026 retooling the transit system until we get it right.\u201d<\/p>\n Rollins (Fort Rouge\u2013East Fort Garry) said she\u2019d like more publicly available data showing Transit\u2019s performance, strategies to reduce transfer and commute times, a plan for greater reliability and an equity assessment focused on vulnerable people taking the bus.<\/p>\n People with disabilities were most likely, in the Probe survey, to believe nearly every aspect of the transit system is worse. And approximately three-quarters of riders aged 55 and older expressed dissatisfaction.<\/p>\n \u201cTransit in Canada is still typically for people who need it as an alternative to driving,\u201d said Aaron Moore, a University of Winnipeg political science professor.<\/p>\n \u201cThe most important aspect, to me, of a transit system is to provide services for those people \u2014 the people who need it the most.\u201d<\/p>\n Older Manitobans may be less comfortable using digital applications to plan bus routes; distributing paper copies of new routes might be worthwhile, Moore suggested.<\/p>\n The city will launch weekly information sessions, starting mid-March, covering topics such as using the network and on-request buses.<\/p>\n gabrielle.piche@winnipegfreepress.com<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t Gabrielle Pich\u00e9 Gabrielle Pich\u00e9 reports on business for the Free Press. She interned at the Free Press and worked for its sister outlet, Canstar Community News, before entering the business beat in 2021. Read more about Gabrielle<\/a>.<\/p>\n Every piece of reporting Gabrielle produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print \u2014 part of the Free Press\u2018s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press\u2019s history and mandate<\/a>, and learn how our newsroom operates<\/a>.<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Reporter
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n