Your stops and routes will change
We’re replacing just about all bus routes in Winnipeg, simplifying our network. Straighter routes make it easier to get from anywhere to anywhere. They’re also more efficient.
All bus stops will get new sign plates, and new stop numbers.
- We’ll add new stops on streets getting transit for the first time
- We’ll remove them where buses will no longer run
- We’ll move stops to make them more accessible, closer to controlled crosswalks , and with more consistent spacing.
We’ll also upgrade bus stop infrastructure, improving accessibility. Improving bus stop accessibility is an ongoing effort for Winnipeg Transit, but we have additional funds for this work as part of this project. We’ll continue these additional upgrades throughout 2025 to 2028.
Why are bus stop locations changing?
With the new network, stops are spaced according to service class. For example, stops are further apart on Rapid Transit and Frequent Express bus lines than they are on feeder routes.
How do we decide where bus stops go?
We choose bus stop locations that are accessible and connection friendly. There are two stages to selecting stop locations.
The first stage selects a general stop location along a service line or route.
We consider:
- transfers - is a transfer stop available if routes intersect or overlap?
- pairing - are all stops placed in pairs, except on one-way loops?
- spacing - are stops spaced according to service class?
- pedestrian crossing opportunities - are there signals or pedestrian corridors?
- points of interest - are stops near key locations like universities or malls?
The second stage is site-specific, when we determine the precise location.
We check for:
- availability of physical space - is a location large enough for buses? Can passengers safely get off the bus?
- transfer walking distance - can we put stops near pedestrian crossings to make transfers easier?
- pedestrian infrastructure - is a location connected to the sidewalk network?
- existing stop infrastructure - are there amenities like shelters or signage?
- operations and safety - does a location promote safe driving for operators?
- adjacent land-use and parking impacts - what's next to the location? Will transit impact parking?
Schedules will be available in late April
We’ll share summer schedules for the new network online as soon as we can. In late April, you’ll be able to look up stop schedules and plan trips using Navigo. Not online? As always, you can contact 311 for assistance, once schedules are available.
In the meantime, you can look at all the new routes in our system map.
If you have accessibility needs and require information in another format, please contact 311 for assistance.
What is the Primary Transit Network?
The Primary Transit Network is made of: Rapid Transit Lines, Frequent Express Lines, Frequent Lines and Direct Lines.
All Primary Lines are simpler, straighter, and have fewer bus stops than many current routes. Simple, straight lines with fewer stops mean transit can run faster and more frequently, so people wait less and reach their destination faster.
At the busiest times of day, Primary Lines will arrive often enough that you won’t need to follow a schedule.
All Primary Transit Network Lines are classified by:
- How frequent service is
- How far stops are from one another
- Whether or not they use dedicated rapid transit infrastructure for a significant portion of the routes
Rapid Transit Lines and Frequent Express Lines have the highest service frequencies and longest distances between stops. The difference is Rapid Transit Lines already use dedicated rapid transit infrastructure. Frequent Express Lines are located where rapid transit infrastructure will be built in the future.
Frequent Lines have the next most frequent service, followed by Direct Lines. In the future, as Winnipeg continues to invest in transit, Lines may move up in service classes.
What is the feeder route network?
The feeder route network is made up of community and connector routes and On-Request service. It connects to the Primary Transit Network. Feeder routes will avoid congested areas and stay on time more often.
What does it do? Frequent service. Transit-only right of way where needed to bypass congestion and move more quickly across the city
Wait times between buses (core frequencies, longer wait times on branches):
- Peak: 4-10 minutes
- Off-peak: 5-10 minutes
- Nights/weekends: 10-30 minutes
How far apart are the stops? 700-1000 metres outside of downtown
What does it do? These lines will be upgraded to Rapid Transit in the future
Wait time between buses:
- Peak: 5-15 minutes
- Off-peak: 10-15 minutes
- Nights/weekends: 10-30 minutes
How far apart are the stops? 700-1000 metres in express sections, otherwise 350-500 metres
What does it do? Buses run along major streets to help people travel across the city
Wait times between buses:
- Peak: 10-15 minutes
- Off-peak: 10-15 minutes
- Nights/weekends: 10-30 minutes
How far apart are the stops? 350-500 metres
What do they do? Buses run along main streets to help people travel between neighbourhoods
Wait times between buses:
- Peak: 10-15 minutes
- Off-peak: 10-20 minutes
- Nights/weekends: 15-30 minutes
How far apart are the stops? 200-500 metres
Feeder Network
What do they do? Connect people to the Primary network and help them move around the city
Wait times between buses:
- Peak: 15-30 minutes
- Off-peak: 15-30 minutes
- Nights/weekends: 20-60 minutes
How far apart are the stops? 200-500 metres
What do they do? Help people travel within their neighbourhoods, to nearby services, to connector routes and the Primary Network
Wait times between buses:
- Peak: 30-60 minutes
- Off-peak: 30-60 minutes
- Nights/weekends: 30-60 minutes
How far apart are the stops? 200-500 metres
What does it do? Serves new and developing areas and other areas with low demand. Connects people to nearby destinations and other transit services
Wait times between buses: Varies. Generally, 5-20 minutes after booking a trip.
How far apart are the stops? Varies
What do they do? Limited span routes operate only at certain times of the day, typically rush-hour. This can include express routes.
Wait times between buses: Varies. Limited-span routes operate only at certain times of day.
How far apart are the stops? Varies
Will I have to transfer more than I do now?
It depends on where you are going. For some trips, you may need to transfer from a bus on the feeder network to a bus on the Primary Transit Network, for example. Other trips may be more direct than they are now, with fewer transfers.
Transfers, where necessary, are an important part of the design of a more frequent, reliable service, for multiple reasons.
We’ve all experienced traffic congestion downtown. Especially during peak times – weekday morning and afternoon rushes. With the new network, only Primary Transit Network lines go in and out of downtown. Service on these lines will be frequent and involve fewer turns, which will make it more reliable.
Service on feeder routes will also be more reliable, because they will not travel downtown at all.
In the past, Winnipeg Transit prioritized one-seat-rides between downtown and communities during rush hours. This was because they were seen as being more convenient, but the cost is increased congestion. Especially because most current routes travel east to west once they get downtown. And some of these buses fill up with passengers who only need to ride for a short distance. This means there may not be enough room left for passengers who want to ride further along the route to reach a specific community.
Separating service into the Primary Transit Network and its feeder routes lets us increase capacity and maintain frequent service to and from downtown. We also improve service for all the passengers who are travelling elsewhere. Data for the Winnipeg Transit Master Plan showed us less than 20% of transit trips city-wide end downtown.
How does On-Request work?
More On-Request zones are coming to Winnipeg. In most, there is also a fixed route that operates only at times with higher demand. Meantime, the On-Request bus operates at times when demand is lower. Often, this is evenings and weekends.
To take On-Request, you book a trip to and from anywhere within your zone. You can find more information about how this process works on our On-Request service page.
Like our fixed transit routes, On-Request is a shared-ride service. This means other passengers will be picked up and dropped off along the way.
The new network will be more frequent, direct, connected, and simplified
You’ll benefit from a route network that’s more:
Frequent: Buses arrive more often on frequent routes
Direct: Major routes are straighter, fewer take slow and winding paths
Connected: Service expands into new areas, and bus stops move to improve connections
Simplified: Routes are easier to figure out
The new network will be accessible
How will accessibility be improved?
Improved transfer points and bus stops
- We’re moving bus stops to make transfers easier.
- This means placing them close to intersections with controlled crosswalks, so people don’t have to walk as far to transfer to a different bus
- We’re also upgrading bus stop infrastructure, and installing new accessible bus stop platforms
- We make regular upgrades to improve bus stop accessibility, but have extra money for this as part of this project through 2025-28
- This work will continue throughout the coming years
From anywhere in Winnipeg, to anywhere in Winnipeg
- The new network is designed to help people of all abilities access more of the city
- Our current route network is best for traveling to Downtown, but only one out of five trips end up there
- The new network is designed to be more like a grid, that lets you travel more easily throughout Winnipeg
Expanded On-Request provides options for Transit Plus customers
- Where feasible, Transit Plus customers traveling within On-Request zones can get curb-to-curb service
- Instead of having to walk to a ‘virtual stop’ to board On-Request, where feasible Transit Plus customers are picked up at their location
- This increases options for taking transit without advance booking
- On-Request is always booked at the time you want your trip
- Currently, Transit Plus trips must be booked in advance
How did we get here?
City Council approved the launch of the Primary Transit Network, which will happen on June 29, 2025.
Bringing in this new transit network is the single most important change under the Winnipeg Transit Master Plan (approved in 2021). The transit system will transform from a radial system to a spine and feeder system across the city.
- Approved system map (PDF, 1.8MB) (PDF, 1.8MB)
- Individual route maps and turn-by-turn descriptions (PDF, 6.8MB) (PDF, 6.8MB)
- Approved implementation plan
If you have accessibility needs and are unable to explore the map in this format, please contact 311 for assistance.
2026 and beyond: Annual Service Planning
We won’t make any route changes for a full year after we launch. During this time, we’ll analyze travel patterns. We’ll see what’s working and what’s not.
After that, changes to feeder routes will be made on a regular cycle. It’s called the Annual Service Planning Process. It starts with considering changes and ends with implementing them.
One benefit of moving to a spine-and-feeder system is that it becomes much easier to make small changes to the feeder network. Because service is separated between the Primary Lines and Feeder Routes, making changes in one spot doesn’t have a snowball effect.
This leeway allows us to be more responsive to changes and growth in neighbourhoods. For example, we’ve made a number of incremental changes to southwest Winnipeg feeder routes that launched in 2020.
The proposed Primary Transit Network will expand in the future, as the city grows and more people ride transit. Over time, it will look more and more like the long-term network plan in the Winnipeg Transit Master Plan.
Contact
We invite you to sign up to receive updates from the Primary Transit Network project team.
Questions or Concerns? Contact 311.
Frequently asked questions
Winnipeg Transit is launching a new transit network on June 29, 2025. It’s called the Primary Transit Network and its feeder routes. No route has been singled out for cancellation. Our entire route network is being replaced.
The new network is one designed for more rapid, efficient, and reliable service. It is a spine-and-feeder network, like the one introduced in southwest Winnipeg in 2020. Except for some newer routes in the southwest, all current routes will stop operating.
All of our passengers will be able to explore trip planning options online in late April 2025. Schedules for the new network will be available at that time.
- We know Winnipeggers want a transit system that is more accessible, frequent, efficient and reliable
- The Primary Transit Network and its feeder network is designed with those goals in mind
- The Primary Transit Network and its feeder network were shaped by both feedback and technical analysis
- We’ve made some revisions to the Primary Transit Network and carried out technical analysis to design and finalize the feeder routes
- Some decisions were made by analyzing streets to determine where bus travel is workable
- Simply put, buses can travel on some streets, and can’t on others
- Other factors include if land is available for stops and turnarounds
- We also chose locations of feeder routes to allow for connections to be made
- We also looked at where appropriate infrastructure is already in place or can be built in the future
- The network was shaped by both feedback and technical analysis
- Your feedback during three rounds of engagement for the Winnipeg Transit Master Plan helped us design the Primary Transit Network.
- We also made changes based on concerns shared with us during public information sessions in early 2024 .
- Some decisions were made by analyzing streets to determine where bus travel is workable
- Simply put, buses can travel on some streets, and can’t on others
- Other factors include if land is available for stops and turnarounds
- We also chose locations of feeder routes to allow for connections to be made
- We also looked at where appropriate infrastructure is already in place or can be built in the future
- Our current transit network has routes that wind their way back and forth between outer neighbourhoods and downtown, where traffic is heaviest. This contributes to routes running late, especially during peak hours
- The Primary Transit Network is more like a grid. Its lines are straighter with stops that are more spaced out, for efficient travel
- While routes on the feeder network will often avoid more congested areas. This system will keep buses moving more reliably
- It will also free up capacity so we can increase frequency where demand is highest
- The Primary Transit Network is designed to be more efficient
- The overall system capacity will be higher than it is today.
- It will be easier for us to address crowding.
- There will still be routes that will be high in demand.
- We are engaged directly with groups who support and advocate for people with disabilities to ensure we are communicating network changes with accessibility in mind
- We used their feedback to create resources that help passengers of all abilities plan trips on the new network.
- We’re also committed to improving the accessibility of our network. This is an ongoing process that doesn’t begin or end with the launch of a new transit network
- We’re pleased to have additional funding to put towards accessibility improvements throughout 2025-28
- We will be upgrading infrastructure at junctions to make transfers more convenient.
- This can include moving bus stops closer to a crosswalk, which will help passengers with disabilities affecting mobility.
- The spacing of bus stops is determined by the kind of service:
- On Rapid and Frequent Express Lines, bus stops will be spread at least 700 metres apart, or about a 10-minute walk
- On Frequent lines, bus stops will be at least 350 metres apart, or about a five-minute walk
- On Direct Lines, Community Routes and Connector Routes, bus stops will be at least a 200 metres apart, or about a three-minute walk
- We won’t make any immediate changes after we launch, to give us a full year to analyze travel patterns and see what is working and what is not
- After that, changes to feeder routes will be considered and implemented in a yearly cycle. It’s called the Annual Service Planning Process.
- The proposed Primary Transit Network will expand in the future, as the city grows and more people ride transit
- Over time, it will look more and more like the long-term network plan in the Winnipeg Transit Master Plan
- One benefit of moving to a spine-and-feeder system is that it becomes much easier to make incremental changes to the feeder network
- That’s because service is segmented between the Primary Lines and Feeder Routes, so making changes in one spot doesn’t have a snowball effect
- This leeway allows us to be more responsive to changes and growth in neighbourhoods
- For example, in Southwest Winnipeg, a number of incremental changes have been made to feeder routes since we launched a spine-and-feeder network in Spring 2020
There are two stages to selecting stop locations. The first stage is selecting a general stop location along a service line or route. The second is site-specific stop selection, i.e. determining the precise location.
In the first stage, we consider:
- transfers - is a transfer stop available if routes intersect or overlap?
- pairing - are all stops placed in pairs, except on one-way loops?
- spacing - are stops spaced appropriately for the service class?
- pedestrian crossing opportunities - are there signals or pedestrian corridors?
- points of interest - are stops near key locations for our ridership, such as universities or shopping centres?
In the second stage, we evaluate for:
- availability of physical space - is a location large enough for buses? Can passengers safely get off the bus?
- transfer walking distance - can we cut down by placing stops near intersections and pedestrian crossings?
- pedestrian infrastructure - is a location connected to the sidewalk network?
- existing stop infrastructure - are there amenities like shelters or signage?
- operations and safety - does a location promote safe driving for operators?
- adjacent land-use and parking impacts - what's next to the location? Will parking be impacted?
Locations of bus stops on the Primary Network are more likely to change. This is because frequent lines have fewer stops for faster service.
Yes. The new network is the first major change we’re making under the Winnipeg Transit Master Plan. We held three rounds of public engagement before that plan was finalized.
We also held discussions in 2024, during public information events about the Primary Transit Network and its feeder routes. We heard feedback that led to a number of changes. In June 2024, our final network design and plan to implement was approved by Council.