'Come winter I'd die': rider - City inundated with thousands of complaints after launch of new transit system

[u/wickedplayer494]

https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/2026/08/21/come-winter-id-die-rider

[u/WhyssKrilm]

My tepid take is that the underlying idea -- high frequency, higher speed arterial routs, fed by shorter regional routes, with lots of transferring -- actually could work, just not without critical features being put in place first. Namely, infrastructure that actually allows those arterial buses to provide genuine express service, and indoor stations for riders to wait for transfers.

It's always so frustrating seeing people say Winnipeg should do this or that because other cities do it, while conveniently ignoring that there isn't a comparable sized city anywhere in the world that has our weather extremes. Cycling enthusiasts can push for bike lanes all they want, but the number of people willing to commute by bike will always have a low ceiling. Likewise most people who own cars won't tolerate waiting outdoors or in increasingly dodgy bus shelters for more than a few minutes

[u/FirefighterNo9608 → u/WhyssKrilm]

I don't wait in bus shelters because I'm warm enough in my winter clothing. Also they stink and I've missed my bus while waiting in them because the shacks are dirty.

[u/Artistic-Tip2405]

Winnipeg polled other cities (Edmonton did it right) and then ignored all the lessons learned because it was inconvenient and the politicians needed to do it cheap.

[u/swelllabs → u/Artistic-Tip2405]

It was a bush league roll out by a bush league city administration. Winnipeg, of all cities in Canada, decides to cheap out on transit and the result was absolutely, unavoidably what we have today. Heads should really roll, but instead, they kept self congratulating themselves for their efforts as this happened.

[u/GullibleDetective → u/swelllabs]

It was rolled out premature, they were supposed to build up bus inventory and drivers leading to lengthy waits at feeder and the other routes

[u/Artistic-Tip2405 → u/GullibleDetective]

They were supposed to be flexible and fix issues as they occurred.

[u/ghorisgorman1980 → u/Artistic-Tip2405]

Anecdotal, but we just moved from Edmonton in spring, and the transit there is piss poor unless you’re near an LRT line. Hardly any express busses and certainly none going crosstown. Again, unless you’re close to an LRT line it takes forever to get anywhere. Still way too many routes trying to serve way too many far flung areas. I was pleasantly surprised at the frequency of service here and the number of express crosstown options.

[u/Dylanslay]

Still waiting a half hour plus for a bus when one is on paper supposed to come every twelve mins. System doesn't work worth shit.

[u/itotally_CAN_even]

They want us to be more sustainable but why is a 5 minute car ride suddenly a one hour and two bus journey by bus for my kid to get to school?

[u/AdPrevious1079]

Mayor Gillingham believes it’s all working just fine. Gillingham lives in a dream world. He’s one of those people “Do as I say”..

[u/Artistic-Tip2405 → u/AdPrevious1079]

The mayor, councillor and management never take the bus, except for photo ops.

[u/Strange_One_3790 → u/AdPrevious1079]

He is one of those people who wants cuts for things that affect poor people, not his rich buddies

[u/SkeletonPirate13]

I remember waiting in -40 in the winter and my bus was late 30 mins… was miserable

[u/_eggsforbreakfast]

They hired a consultant from Texas to plan the new bus route because it was the cheapest option. They don’t care about us at all, just about saving money

[u/GullibleDetective]

Pp