Scaling back plans for transit garage could hurt riders in future: report

Winnipeg Free Press

2 days ago

Within about five years, the decision to scale back Winnipeg Transit's new north garage could leave more riders behind as full buses pass them by.
A report deems an increase in 'pass-ups' to be the key risk of city council's decision to reduce the scope of the new facility, now known as the Oak Point Garage. The project's scope was clawed back to keep its cost at $200 million instead of increasing it to $305 million, which reduced maintenance and storage space.
'The biggest risk to the (Winnipeg Transit Master Plan) from the smaller scope of (the garage) is the potential for pass-ups on Primary Transit Network lines. This would happen due to a lack of sufficient 60-foot articulated buses in the fleet,' writes Bjorn Radstrom, Winnipeg Transit's manager of service development.
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The smaller, cheaper facility is slated to replace the current garage on Main Street, which is in poor condition.
The smaller, cheaper facility is slated to replace the current garage on Main Street, which is in poor condition and cannot fit articulated buses or newer ones with rooftop air conditioners, Radstrom writes.
Shrinking the scope of the new facility means Transit can only store 127 of the longer, articulated buses, while the service estimates it would need between 150 and 200 within the next 10 years, the report said.
Transit may also need to request 'significant capital funding within five years' to either expand the Oak Point Garage, which is expected to open in 2028, or retrofit the existing Fort Rouge Garage, Radstrom said.
'By 2030, I would say the risk is getting to be pretty high that we would be experiencing more pass-ups than we would want,' he said, during an interview Thursday.
It's difficult to tell how much pass-ups could increase in the next few years, since ridership levels could change, but adding more 60-foot buses could serve growing demand with a limited impact on operating costs, Radstrom said.
'You're not paying for an extra bus operator. It's a much more efficient way to (transport more people) but we need the maintenance space and the storage space for (the buses) … If ridership keeps growing, there's a crunch,' said Radstrom.
Pass-ups tend to be highest in September when students return to school, he noted, with full buses passing up waiting riders 2,615 times in September 2024. There have been 410 pass-ups during this month so far.
The chairwoman of council's public works committee said council can't afford to increase the budget and scope of the north garage right now.
'We don't have the money,' said Coun. Janice Lukes.
Lukes (Waverley West) said council has invested a lot of money in Winnipeg Transit, including a $124-million subsidy this year.
The councillor said federal and provincial interest in public transit indicates funding to expand the garage could become available.
'I'm very optimistic that we'll be able to do an expansion to the garage at some point in the future … We are committed to making transit better and we have time to figure out an expansion,' said Lukes.
She stressed the risk of a surge in buses lacking enough space for riders is still years away.
Mayor Scott Gillingham also noted the city has made major investments in transit lately, including a new primary transit network that's set to take effect Sunday.
'We're investing more in transit than we ever have … We only have so many dollars to invest in that garage at this time. In the future, there may be opportunity, if need arises, for us to expand that garage. But let's keep in mind, these are good days for transit,' said Gillingham.
An advocate for transit riders said the switch to a new primary transit network could alleviate a lot of the delay pass-ups cause, though the risk of experiencing more of them is a concern.
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'With frequent service, a pass-up will be less devastating than it used to be. Instead of waiting 40 minutes … (it) will probably only mean waiting less than 15 minutes (on the most frequent routes). However, the whole point of the system is that more people use it, that they can rely on it … (and) because the new system relies on transfers as part of almost every trip, missing a bus could potentially mean missing a connecting bus,' said Kyle Owens, president of Functional Transit Winnipeg.
The network will use a spine-and-feeder concept, where direct spines along major corridors are supported by a network of feeder routes.
Owens said there's also a risk the city will pay even more to expand the new north garage in the future, since construction prices typically rise over time.
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Joyanne PursagaReporter
Joyanne is city hall reporter for the Winnipeg Free Press. A reporter since 2004, she began covering politics exclusively in 2012, writing on city hall and the Manitoba Legislature for the Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in early 2020. Read more about Joyanne.
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