City, MPI offer free transit New Year’s Eve

If you are ringing in the New Year with a toast, the city wants you to also consider boarding the bus.

You can take Winnipeg Transit and Handi-Transit for free starting at 7 p.m. Dec. 31 until the end of service.

Manitoba Public Insurance is helping the city cover the costs and said the risk of driving impaired, whether by alcohol or drugs, has serious consequences.

“Driver license suspension, permanent criminal record, getting involved in a collision and not having insurance, or even worse, killing or seriously injuring yourself or someone else,” Ward Keith, CAO of Manitoba Public Insurance, said at a news conference Thursday.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "Driver license suspension, permanent criminal record, getting involved in a collision and not having insurance, or even worse, killing or seriously injuring yourself or someone else," Ward Keith, CAO of Manitoba Public Insurance, said at a news conference Thursday.

Last year 15,000 people took advantage of a free bus ride.

The city said since New Year’s Eve falls on a Sunday, Winnipeg Transit will be operating on the Sunday schedule.

That usually means the last bus would leave downtown at 12:15 a.m. but the city is adding a few extra buses, with the last ones leaving downtown at 1:30 a.m.

These buses are not on the regular schedule. The modified New Year’s Eve schedule can be found by clicking here.

Even though bus service is free the evening of Dec. 31, bus fare is increasing $0.25 on New Year’s Day. The city said the rise in fares is to offset a funding shortfall from the provincial government.