Mayor Scott Gillingham announced today that fare enforcement is expanding across the Winnipeg Transit system. While recovering lost revenue matters, the top priority is building a culture of safety and respect on city buses.
“Safety staff and drivers use good judgment, and they know when someone genuinely needs help,” said Gillingham. “But we’re hearing from the Amalgamated Transit Union — and from riders — that fare evasion is often tied to assaults on drivers and harassment of passengers. That’s a serious concern, and we’re stepping up enforcement to deal with it.”
At the Mayor’s request, the City’s CAO has directed safety teams to increase fare checks. As of late August, the City’s newly expanded team of Community Safety Officers (CSOs) are checking fares as part of their daily patrols. Until now, fare enforcement was mostly done by Transit Inspectors, with occasional help from CSOs.
Councillor Janice Lukes, Chair of the Public Works Committee, said the City is making transit more affordable and sustainable.
“Transit is at record-high funding levels, and we’ve increased the tax-supported subsidy for Transit by 27% since 2022,” she said. “In recent years we also launched a low-income pass to help people who are struggling and made transit fares free for children under 12.”
Winnipeg’s 2025 Primary Transit Network brought service back to 100% of pre-pandemic levels and the City has added more than 100 new buses to the fleet in 2025, including Canada’s first 60-foot zero emission buses.
“If we want to keep improving service, fare revenue has to be reliable,” said Lukes. “We can’t afford to let people ride for free while taxpayers and paying passengers cover the cost. Every dollar lost is a dollar we can’t spend on improving service.”
Winnipeg Transit estimates that between $7 million and $10 million annually is lost through fare evasion.
To make paying fares easier, the City is also investing in a new payment system, funded in the 2025 budget. Winnipeg Transit is now tendering for technology that will let riders tap with their phone, debit, or credit card — in addition to existing fare options.