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MIKE DEAL \/ FREE PRESS<\/p>\n
All Winnipeg Transit buses are set to have their communication radios replaced. <\/p>\n
MIKE DEAL \/ FREE PRESS Winnipeg Transit received its first zero-emission bus (ZEB). The 40-foot fuel-cell battery-electric bus is the first of 16 buses expected this spring as part of the Transition to Zero-Emission Bus Program. Reporter: Joyanne Pursaga 250219 – Wednesday, February 19, 2025.<\/p>\n
A city report says the transit radios won\u2019t affect the budget because money had been set aside to buy a new communication system, and a portion of it is covered by funding from the provincial and federal governments.<\/p>\n
James Van Gerwen, president of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1505, said he knows the drivers of the city\u2019s 600 buses would be happy with the change.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a great system,\u201d Van Gerwen said on Wednesday.\u201dThis is well needed \u2014 we\u2019ve been pushing for this for years. The radios we have are over 30 years old and the system is so outdated that it is hard to get parts for it. This will give us better performance and more reliability.\u201d<\/p>\n
Van Gerwen said that over the decades the city \u2014 and transit routes \u2014 have expanded and it\u2019s not uncommon for any of the buses driving at the edge of the city to fall out of radio range.<\/p>\n
\u201cDrivers sometimes have to roll up 30 feet to get a signal,\u201d he said. \u201cThe more the city expands, the harder it is to get a frequency. And sometimes drivers have to use their own cellphones, which is not the solution.\u201d <\/p>\n
City spokesperson Pam McKenzie agreed the new system is needed.<\/p>\n
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\t\t\tSign up for Sunday Passages<\/a><\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t \u201c(The public safety communications service) would replace the existing outdated infrastructure with a modern system that is more reliable, secure, and provides better coverage throughout the city. This would improve communication between bus operators and the transit control centre.\u201d<\/p>\n McKenzie said while police, fire and paramedics would be using the same secure network system, transit drivers would not be able to hear internal police and emergency calls.<\/p>\n She said with all three entities using the system, it would improve communication between the agencies.<\/p>\n If approved by the committee, the motion will go to city council for final approval.<\/p>\n kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t Kevin Rollason Kevin Rollason is a general assignment reporter at the Free Press. He graduated from Western University with a Masters of Journalism in 1985 and worked at the Winnipeg Sun until\u00a01988, when he joined the Free Press. He has served as the Free Press\u2019s city hall and law courts reporter and has won several awards, including a National Newspaper Award. Read more about Kevin<\/a>.<\/p>\n Every piece of reporting Kevin 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<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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