In 2020, Winnipeg Transit fares were $3.00. However, fares have gone up quickly. In December 2023, Winnipeg Mayor Scott Gillingham, to address the Winnipeg Transit shortfall, announced the city would raise fares 10 cents per year, starting at $3.35 in 2025, $3.45 in 2026 and $3.55 in 2027. Our bus fares are now in established company amongst other major Canadian cities. Winnipeg’s single cash fare is now on par with Toronto at $3.35 and even creeping in with Edmonton at $3.75 and Montreal, whose fare is also $3.75 within certain zones.
The high costs of bus fares hurt on so many levels. First, increased bus fares impact the poorest, limiting reduced poverty measures. Manitoba has one of the highest rates of child poverty in Canada. Winnipeg has the highest Indigenous population among all Canadian major cities, creating a challenge, with 31 per cent of Winnipeg’s Indigenous peoples living in poverty.
Marginalized groups, including Indigenous peoples, rely on public transportation and small increases in bus fares cut into people’s transportation budgets. Rapidly increasing bus fares, adding to the cost of living, can lead some passengers to evade fares, adding tension between passengers and transit operators.
Winnipeg Transit had 257 security incidents in 2023, as millions in fare revenue were lost to fare evasion.
For a city like Winnipeg, which thrives on always being thrifty, high bus fares sadly make looking at purchasing a private automobile feasible for many (not including myself, as I don’t own a car and don’t want to), damaging our already weak climate goals.
Winnipeg wants 2050 to have half of its trips come from public transit, active transportation or ridesharing. Nearly half of Winnipeg’s carbon emissions come from transportation, most from private automobiles.
Carbon emissions are the most significant contributor to climate change. Analysts noted that last year was the hottest year on record globally. The impacts of climate change from the higher risks of extreme weather will hurt the most vulnerable. We cannot afford to make questionable policy decisions that hurt climate action and poverty reduction targets by raising public transit fares.
Minimal investments in public transit at the various levels of government have not helped, despite the federal government recently adding an additional $200 million to the Canadian Public Transit Fund (which faces an uncertain future). Analysts have warned of a dire future for Canadians, including fare hikes and service cuts, unless public investments dramatically increase to make up for past shortfalls.
Functional Transit Winnipeg president Kyle Owens provided his suggestions on a recent episode of Not Necessarily The Automobile for making Winnipeg Transit more accessible. Owens’s suggestions included reducing paperwork for the WINNpass, streamlining payment methods and lowering fares. Owens said being able to afford transit fares within your income is a barrier to accessing transportation.
Winnipeg’s Poverty Reduction Implementation Plan 2024-27 suggested making public transportation free for all riders. A few years ago, councillor Vivian Santos attempted to have the city study a simplified transit fare system in 2021, which failed. Kansas City has frozen transit fares since 2020.
Despite other examples around the world, local attempts by some councillors and reports, Winnipeggers will continue to receive high transit fares until our city council (and even our provincial government through allocated municipal investments) dares to prioritize financial accessibility to transportation for all with affordable Winnipeg Transit.
Until then, like in the words of Jimmy McMillan, the bus fares are too darn high.
Adam Johnston hosts Not Necessarily The Automobile on Thursdays at 11:30 a.m. on UMFM 101.5. He can be reached at notnecessarilytheautomobile@gmail.com
