More trips on busy routes and extended evening service: Your sneak peek of what’s coming for Transit

As the conversation continues about our Primary Transit Network, we’re continuing to listen and make changes to improve service. 

Winnipeg Transit has firmed up plans for improving service this spring. Highlights include adding more trips where needed most, and extending service on 10 routes we heard ended too early.

Transit is also proposing the first routing changes since we launched our new bus network. If approved, these will go into effect in June.

We're grateful to everyone who has provided feedback guiding these changes. We're committed to listening and taking action.

What's coming for spring - More trips where needed

The spring service schedule goes into effect on April 12. That's when we'll add trips to the following routes:

• The F5 line, which serves Notre Dame Avenue and McPhillips Street

• The F8 line, which serves Pembina Highway and Henderson Highway

• Route 74, buses added between Polo Park Mall and Old Commonwealth Path only

• Route 557, which serves South Osborne, Southdale, Island Lakes, and Sage Creek

• Route 676, from St. Vital Centre to Bridgwater Center, and from St. Vital Centre to Creek Bend Road

We're also making some schedule adjustments where ridership has been lower. Fewer FX3 buses will run east of Kildonan Place, which means fewer buses running on Victoria Avenue East. Similarly, on the FX4, fewer buses will run north of McLeod, where fewer passengers ride.

Passengers will also see smaller schedule refinements across our network.

What's coming for spring - Extended hours

City Council approved longer evening hours on targeted routes as part of the most recent budget update. After the spring schedule rolls out, these routes will operate until after midnight:

More passenger support coming this spring

Our travel training team is excited to roll out revamped online information sessions in mid-March. These weekly Zoom sessions will be tailored to what we've heard our passengers need for support. They’ll cover a rotating list of topics that includes navigating our network, On-Request, Transit Plus, and more.

Registration will open in early March, and details will be posted to our Travel Training page.

Proposed route changes for D16, D18, and D19 lines this summer

We're proposing a route change to bring service closer to the Winnipeg Clinic and Graham Avenue, and another to simplify a route to improve reliability.

The first proposed change is on the D19 line. We'd move the terminal to Kennedy Street, bringing transit closer to the Winnipeg Clinic and Graham Avenue.

The second change impacts the D16 line. This long, complex route struggles to stay on time. Rewriting the D16 schedule for winter didn't work as well as we had hoped.

For simpler, more reliable service into Downtown, we propose splitting D16 into two:

• The proposed, new D16 will go from Polo Park to Downtown via Academy, River/Stradbrook, Tache and Main

• The proposed D18 will go from RRC Notre Dame to Downtown via Notre Dame and William 

These recommended changes will go before the Standing Policy Committee on Public Works on March 4. If approved, they'll go into effect with the summer schedule in June.

Why are these changes taking so long?

Our work to make our Transit system better for our passengers is ongoing. It will not end. But it takes more time than some may realize to make route and schedule changes.

This is partly because writing bus schedules is a time intensive process. It’s also because once a schedule is done and divided into shifts, every operator gets to select theirs.

This means we can only make these changes four times a year, during a seasonal schedule change. We will continue to share updates on what's changing every season. And we'll continue to listen.

Got feedback for us? Share details of what's working and what's not, using our online form.