Winnipeg Transit launches on-request service

Winnipeg Transit is piloting a new on-request service that will allow riders to request a bus, making real-time adjustments to routes to meet user demand.

Mayor Brian Bowman and Winnipeg Transit officials hope the pilot project will help get more riders, both old and new, to start using a public transit system that has seen revenues crater due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Against the backdrop of a global pandemic, on-request was highlighted in the 2021 balanced budget update as a way in which the City of Winnipeg might be able to respond to the unpredictable changes in demand that all transit services grapple with," Bowman said at an announcement at the Osborne Street bus station.

The project launches Aug. 12 and will last about a year. 

It will operate in three zones currently covered by the Winnipeg Transit dial-a-ride transit (DART) service, which operates during off-peak hours and allows people to call and speak directly to the driver to arrange pickup. 

Those routes are 101 St. Amant-Plaza Drive, 102 Southdale-Island Lakes and 110 St. Boniface-Norwood.

The on-request system uses a smartphone app that tracks buses and gives users step-by-step instructions on how to get to their destination, project manager Adam Budowski said.

"The specific routing of a bus is determined in real time as booking requests are made," he said.

Instructions are then relayed to the driver via a global positioning system-enabled smartphone.

Wait times vary between five and 20 minutes, depending on the number of riders attempting to request a ride, the number of buses on the road, weather and traffic conditions, Budowski said.

Similar projects have launched in other Canadian cities, including Edmonton, Regina, Saskatoon, Sault Ste. Marie and Stratford.

The pandemic continues to weigh heavily on Winnipeg Transit, as ridership remains well below pre-pandemic levels. In a financial update in June, the city projected a $13.9-million deficit for Winnipeg Transit in the first quarter of 2021. 

"We've taken it on the chin in terms of our revenues, primarily with transit," Bowman said.

On Wednesday, Winnipeg Transit director Greg Ewankiw said current ridership is 51 per cent in comparison with the same week in 2019.

The pilot project is expected to cost $140,000. It was funded by a grant from the city's innovation and technology department.

The app will be available for download on Aug. 6.

The city will wait until the province releases the full text of its health orders before making any decisions about continuing to require mask use on Winnipeg Transit buses, Bowman said. The provincial mask mandate will end Saturday, Premier Brian Pallister and Dr. Brent Roussin announced Tuesday.

WATCH | Winnipeg Mayor Brian Bowman on masks in city facilities, buses

Winnipeg Mayor Brian Bowman on masks in city facilities, buses

3 years ago

Duration 2:23

Winnipeg Mayor Brian Bowman said Wednesday there will be no immediate changes to rules requiring masks in city facilities and on transit buses, despite provincewide changes that make mask-wearing optional in indoor public places. Bowman said the city will review the province's public health orders when they are released.

"For the foreseeable future, you shouldn't expect a change with respect to the requirement to wear masks in city facilities, including within our transit buses," he said.

Masks are one way to protect ourselves and the community and Bowman will continue to wear a mask in public, he said.