New routes, mixed reaction: riders test transit shakeup

Winnipeg Free Press

4 days ago

In the hustle and bustle of Winnipeg navigating getting to work through the new overhauled transit system Monday morning, Adrian Grey watches as a communal spirit emerges.
On his new bus route, called the F8, a driver helps confused riders the best he can and, when he doesn't have the answers, other riders whip out their phones and consult the Transit app.
Eventually, and with some help, people get where they need to be.
'Once we got downtown, people were tapping each other on the shoulder, going 'Hey, if you need to go to (this) place, get off here, go wait in front of the Dollarama, we've got you,' Grey, 29, told the Free Press.
'It was very much just these random people who had all boarded the same bus, and there was already a little community of people helping each other.'
JOHN WOODS / FREE PRESS
Adrian Grey says the reduction of bus stops along Henderson Highway headed to Broadway has created overcrowding.
JOHN WOODS / FREE PRESS
Adrian Grey says the reduction of bus stops along Henderson Highway headed to Broadway has created overcrowding.
It might become a common sight in the coming weeks as the city adjusts to the massive change, which was put in place Sunday, which saw the network shift to a spine-and-feeder model, rather than the previous downtown-focused hub-and-spoke system.
It's been called the largest shift in service in Winnipeg Transit's 142-year history, and the lead behind the change, manager of Transit Service Development at the City of Winnipeg, Bjorn Radstrom, describes the overhaul as 'one of the biggest ever in the world.'
Grey, who has been taking buses for more than 15 years, has called on municipal leadership to improve transit since he was a teenager, the 'Winnipeg hill he dies on.'
JOHN WOODS / FREE PRESS
Project lead Bjorn Radstrom, manager of service development with Winnipeg Transit, talks about the new system at the Osborne bus depot Sunday.
JOHN WOODS / FREE PRESS
Project lead Bjorn Radstrom, manager of service development with Winnipeg Transit, talks about the new system at the Osborne bus depot Sunday.
As a North Kildonan resident, Grey said the reduction of bus stops along Henderson Highway headed to Broadway has created overcrowding.
He said under the previous system, university students had multiple bus options to get to the south end or downtown. He worries that on busier days, more riders will be left waiting, especially when the weather gets colder or outside of peak hours.
That said, he wants to be proven wrong and plans to wait and see how it all unfolds.
'I want to be hopeful,' he said.
'I want to hope that this is just a sort of knee-jerk reaction to change, and that people will get used to things, or we'll start to see places where this has improved the way that transit operates, and maybe it will lead to less missed buses and less unreliable service.'
Here's how other Winnipeg transit-takers found getting around on Monday:
Graeson Spencer was used to a 20-minute ride on the No. 38 bus that took him from his home in West Kildonan to his job in Garden City.
On Monday, the 24 year old called his trek an hour-long 'nightmare' that required several transfers. In the future, he plans to change his morning schedule to leave at 5:30 a.m. to make time for new transfers.
'It's a massive inconvenience,' Spencer said.
JOHN WOODS / FREE PRESS
Project lead Bjorn Radstrom told the Free Press around 10 to 20 per cent of riders could have a more difficult commute after the change, while transit would improve for 60 per cent of riders and stay the same for 20 to 30 per cent.
JOHN WOODS / FREE PRESS
Project lead Bjorn Radstrom told the Free Press around 10 to 20 per cent of riders could have a more difficult commute after the change, while transit would improve for 60 per cent of riders and stay the same for 20 to 30 per cent.
Project lead Radstrom told the Free Press around 10 to 20 per cent of riders could have a more difficult commute after the change, while transit would improve for 60 per cent of riders and stay the same for 20 to 30 per cent.
Spencer believes those numbers are 'extremely skewed,' particularly for busers who live outside Winnipeg's core area.
'If you're looking at it (thinking) the primary area is going to be downtown, OK, sure, but then everywhere else in the city is taking a massive hit,' he said.
'For me to get from West Kildonan to, let's say, Polo Park mall. Sure, it's quicker to get there, I'll give them props on that. But everywhere else is just a complete nightmare.'
He would have liked to see a slower rollout to allow for more consultation.
'I think maybe going by city districts or something like that, and slowly rolling everything over, instead of just going, 'Oh, hey, by the way, all of your buses are different.'
Every morning, Barb Tomasi plugs her headphones on, puts on her favourite music — right now, it's Latin pop — and jumps on a bus.
After grabbing her morning coffee Monday, the 65-year-old called 311 to ask how the new bus routes could get her from the Radisson Hotel Starbucks to her workplace in the Inkster area.
If you're at a bus stop wondering how to get where you need to be, look for a blue vest.
A team of city staff decked in blue and dubbed 'travel trainers' have been tasked with walking around major transit terminals across the city to help riders get accustomed to the new routes.
If you're at a bus stop wondering how to get where you need to be, look for a blue vest.
A team of city staff decked in blue and dubbed 'travel trainers' have been tasked with walking around major transit terminals across the city to help riders get accustomed to the new routes.
Bjorn Radstrom, manager of Transit Service Development at the City of Winnipeg, will be out on Canada Day and later this week to speak with riders and help mitigate what he describes as a 'massive learning curve.'
'If somebody's a bit lost and doesn't know how to get from (point) A to B, all of our street teams, they've all got a smartphone with them, they can pull up the trip planners that we're telling everybody to use, and help somebody plan the trip, show them how to use the trip planners, if the customer themselves has a smartphone, or we can talk them through calling 311, or using the web portal,' he said Monday.
Radstrom encouraged people to ensure they're using the planning tools available, either online, through an app, or over the phone.
If an aspect of the journey isn't working, Radstrom said he and his team want to hear about it — complaints and concerns can be directed to 311 through call or email.
'The only thing I'm asking is that people be really specific — what worked for you, what didn't, give me, the when, the why, the where, all that kind of stuff.'
— Malak Abas
She was told a bus was coming in 10 minutes to a stop near the hotel that would take her to work at Mountain Avenue and McPhillips Street. She walked out, got on a bus minutes later, and was at work on time.
She said the system was easy to use and fast moving — as long as riders prepare.
'Anybody here who was born in Winnipeg and had to get to work today and didn't plan properly, I'm sorry, I'm not going to give them much leeway,' she said.
'Information was provided, 311 could have been called yesterday or last week, they could have done some planning.'
She said she's impressed with the speed of the new routes she's taken so far, and she's learned she can get to some of her favourite spots across the city with fewer transfers.
She gave credit to Radstrom and city planners, and hoped 311 won't be overwhelmed as people adjust to the new system.
'I had a wonderful day … with rapid transit,' she said. 'In fact, it was probably one of my best experiences with rapid transit.'
For as long as 20-year-old Harmeet has lived in Winnipeg, she's taken the bus.
The University of Winnipeg international student, who moved to the city from India in 2023, sometimes has classes that run into the evening. The community bus she originally took to get home at night is no longer an option. She worries about having to walk home at night.
JOHN WOODS / FREE PRESS
Winnipeg Transit supervisors help riders on Day 2 of the city's new bus network. A team of city staff decked in blue and dubbed 'travel trainers' have been tasked with walking around major transit terminals across the city to help riders get accustomed to the new routes.
JOHN WOODS / FREE PRESS
Winnipeg Transit supervisors help riders on Day 2 of the city's new bus network. A team of city staff decked in blue and dubbed 'travel trainers' have been tasked with walking around major transit terminals across the city to help riders get accustomed to the new routes.
'Is it even OK or safe? We have seen so (many) incidents throughout Winnipeg. Why is it even happening? Did they even think about it?' Harmeet, who asked her last name not be published, said.
'I'm not saying the transit system (as a) whole is bad. If they have changed it, at least do not reduce the hours of the community busses, at least keep them the same, or maybe run them until nine or 10 (p.m.).'
She worries for other international students, some of whom live in dangerous areas of the city and can't afford alternative means of transit.
'I'm lucky to say that I have good friends who have cars, who are domestic students, I can share a ride with them sometimes … but what about the students who don't have any of these kinds of things here?'
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Malak AbasReporter
Malak Abas is a city reporter at the Free Press. Born and raised in Winnipeg's North End, she led the campus paper at the University of Manitoba before joining the Free Press in 2020. Read more about Malak.
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