As commuters await the rollout of the Winnipeg Transit Master Plan (WTMP), those living in Old Kildonan could soon see a more tailored service coming their way.
Winnipeg’s public service will be presenting a report this week laying out three scenarios for on-request service to a pair of neighbourhoods: all-day service, limited service, and basic service.
The neighbourhoods are Castlebury Meadows and Waterford Green, and could include the intersections Jefferson Ave. and Adsum Drive, Mandalay Drive and Adsum Drive, and Jefferson Ave. and Mandalay Drive.
“While the WTMP will eventually introduce service to these and other currently-unserved neighbourhoods, it is recognized that there is a desire for these neighbourhoods to have transit service as soon as possible,” the authors of the report write.
“However, introducing service to these neighbourhoods ahead of the WRMP roll-out would require additional funding.”
The report says an “outdated” on-request service known as DART already operates in St. Vital, Southwest Winnipeg, and St. Boniface, whereby transit-goers phone a bus driver directly to schedule a ride, but this is expected to be replaced with an app sometime in mid-2021.
Annual costs for adding the two new neighbourhoods range from $774,000 for the all-day service, to $442,500 for the basic, and would require between 4.5 and 7.5 new full-time employees.
If an additional vehicle is needed for peak service periods on weekdays, the cost of each scenario would rise by about $153,500, the report says.
The public service says the on-request transit service could be in place by September 2022.
The report heads to City Hall on Wednesday.
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