The City of Winnipeg is slated for a multi-million dollar budget surplus at the end of the year, with the largest source of the uptick being Winnipeg Transit.
Transit announced a projected $7.9-million surplus Wednesday, saying it is mostly due to higher-than-expected revenue from a 25-cent fare hike this year.
A surplus of that magnitude prompted a call from the Amalgamated Transit Union 1505 to put more cash towards transit safety.
“It showed up unexpectedly, out of nowhere,” said ATU Local 1505 Winnipeg President Aleem Chaudhary.
“I’m appalled at the fact that they had all this money and we’ve been after them for years for the safety of our operators.”
Chaudhary said they could have been running more buses, which would be a benefit to riders and drivers.
“Right now as it is, we don’t have enough buses on the road and that is contributing towards our assaults on buses, because people are waiting longer and longer,” he said.
“When they have the money, why don’t they provide the service?”
WATCH: Winnipeg transit union calls for more buses
Winnipeg Transit said they are concerned about the safety of drivers and passengers, and are working on reports for improvements. For now, they advise drivers to follow the training that they have been given.
“We are working to improve safety, not only for passengers, but for operators as well,” said Winnipeg Transit Manager of Operations Randy Tonnellier.
But when Tonnellier was asked about what initiatives are being considered, there was no clear answer.
“I cant really comment on the budget process or where that money may go.”
As for where the money from the surplus is spent, Transit Union officials would like to see it go towards overall safety for operators and riders.
“Time and time again I got asked from members right across Canada, ‘what’s going on in Winnipeg, what have they done?’. They’ve seen no movement,” said ATU Local 1505 International Vice President John Callahan.
“The opportunity is there for them to be leaders in transit security and transit safety,” he said.
In the meantime, Callahan suggests he would rate the actions of the city on transit safety improvements to date, as a “failure.”