Around 30,000 students will be able to ride transit for free in September, but many questions on how passes will be distributed and if the transit system can handle the increase in ridership remains unanswered as first-day of school approached.
“I can tell you right now they’re not going to arrive on time. I can tell you right now there’ll be pass-ups. This was not properly planned. It’s a great idea the province had, but you just don’t pull it out in March,” said Coun. Janice Lukes, Public Works chair.
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The city said students ages 11 to 21 are eligible for a free transit pass valid through August next year.
The passes will be distributed through schools by grade, in partnership with the province in what the premier said will be a phased rollout.
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Isn’t this what the school bus is for? I wouldn’t put my kid on a transit bus if it was the only available transportation. The city has proven time and again that they can’t keep anybody safe on the city bus. On top of that, Winnipeg Transit has mis-spent funds on projects nobody uses so much they they nearly went bankrupt. The entire management at Transit needs to be cleared out and replaced. They need to tune this new system greatly before sending children and hoping they aren’t harmed. Our government is a joke, run by goofs who operate like jokes…all without punchlines.
Nobody pays on Winnipeg Transit. I had to go downtown last month. I decided to take the bus. I looked everything up online. I got on, paid my fare, sat down. Only to watch almost everyone just walk by the driver or pause briefly to say something. Bus arrived downtown with half a bus load of people. At least half didn’t pay!
Never mind about being late or pass-ups. What about safety? I can’t imagine that any parent would like the idea of sending an eleven-year-old child back and forth to school on a bus daily. 🤔