Winnipeg transit riders still have mixed feelings about the new system

It’s been nearly three weeks since the city of Winnipeg changed over to its transit system, and many riders remain in an adjustment period. While the city is urging folks to provide feedback, opinions about the changes seem to be mixed.

“It seems like people that plan this kind of stuff, they don’t take buses. So, if you can hear us, the people who actually take buses, it would be great,” said Priscila Alves, a transit rider.

“I think it’s still a lot of work [needed] to get it better because the buses are frequently late, it’s never on time, ever. You always [have to] put some extra time when you plan your route.”

Pam Nabess, another transit rider, says, “I don’t mind it. I think it’s okay. I think it’s more direct. The only thing that’s bad about it is that the stop signs in between are farther apart.”

While Richard Amao, another transit rider, said, “Real stressful, if you’re going from U of W to U of M, before it was one bus, but now we have to take two buses. It’s crazy out there, bro.”

Adding, “Some people have complained about it, the first day the system was brought up, most people were confused, most people were late to work and class, which wasn’t so fair, but I hope they listen to feedback, it’s really essential.”

A statement from the City reads, “The first few weeks of operation of the Primary Transit Network and its feeder routes saw fewer operational issues than anticipated. We did encounter some issues related to bus congestion at two terminals, but we were able to take immediate action to address it.”

Adding, “We are tracking all feedback, which will be used to make tweaks to our network and schedule in the short term. Feedback will also inform potential larger changes we may recommend in the years to come as part of our Annual Service Planning Process.”

Monica, a transit rider, says, “It still needs to be tweaked, every new project needs to be tweaked, so yeah it needs some tweaks but it’s doing pretty good, yeah, not too bad at all.”

While Bard, another transit rider says, “No matter how good the system is theres always something that can be done, so I think its great that they actually want the feedback, with how busy 3-1-1 is, I don’t know how easily it is to give that feedback, but I don’t know if theres a web form or something.”

Feedback on the transit changes can be made by calling 3-1-1, or by filling out an online form, which can be found on the city’s website.