Students 'emotional,' 'stressed' about Winnipeg Transit service to and from Sage Creek
City buses operating at 5% service reduction after fall schedule change: Greg Ewankiw
Getting around on the bus is challenging for people in some parts of Winnipeg, including those living in Sage Creek.
Julie Gaudet's son Shane is a Grade 11 student at Collège Béliveau, but within the first week of the new school year, he and other students have experienced issues with catching Winnipeg Transit buses to and from the city's southeast neighbourhood.
Gaudet says it typically takes her 15 minutes to drive from her home to Collège Béliveau, but that increases to 25-40 minutes for her son on a city bus — if he's even able to hop aboard.
So far this month, Shane has watched the No. 50 bus whiz right past him multiple times in the morning. Each time it's packed with people, bypassing his stop, which is the third last out of Sage Creek.
"The kids are becoming stressed and worried about how they're going to get to school. And once again [Monday], he was the last one actually to make the bus, but there [were] about 12-15 students left behind," Gaudet said on Up To Speed Monday.
It's also been difficult to hop aboard a bus leaving school. Gaudet says some kids are having to wait between 60 and 90 minutes for a No. 50 bus to take them home.
"Some of [the kids] are super emotional. They're just not sure what to do with it. They're anxious and it's not really a good start to their school year," Gaudet said.
She has lived in Sage Creek since 2008, and has a simple answer for why there aren't enough buses during peak hours in and out of her neighbourhood.
"There's a lot of population in Sage Creek at the moment and I believe the buses aren't keeping up with the population we have," Gaudet said.
In an email to CBC News, the City of Winnipeg says it doesn't appear to be experiencing any unusual service delays with route No. 50, but noted that two extra buses — one in the morning leaving Sage Creek and another in the afternoon heading there — have been added, but are currently not showing up online.
That's expected to change by next week, according to the city.
Gaudet herself has experienced the challenge that comes with taking a city transit bus to and from Sage Creek. The route runs out of the neighbourhood on weekday mornings from approximately 5:30 a.m. to 9:15 a.m., and back into Sage Creek from approximately 2:45 p.m. to 7:15 p.m.
Gaudet has reached out to the Louis Riel School Division, as well as administrative staff at Collège Béliveau, about the issue hoping to expedite change. She is also hoping for some temporary funding to add more buses to and from Sage Creek.
Operator shortage impacting bus route numbers
Sage Creek isn't the only area of the city experiencing transit issues.
Winnipeg Transit director Greg Ewankiw says the agency is operating at a five per cent service reduction following the recent fall schedule change that came into effect.
Just over 1,000 drivers are needed following the schedule change. There are about 907 active operators — 95 shy of the number needed, he said Monday at city hall.
But Winnipeg isn't the only major Canadian city seeking transit bus drivers.
"The challenges are that it seems to be a very much transient position right now," Ewankiw said. "Operators have ability to move to other cities where they're hiring, so that presents a bit of a challenge as well."
Retirements and resignations occur naturally every year, but those numbers are a bit higher the past few years since the COVID-19 pandemic. Absenteeism among drivers is also up.
"We look at the buses that have the least impact to our customers, so it's typically a route like a longer route that has many buses on it. So rather than having a five-minute headway between buses, maybe it'll be an eight-minute headway on that particular schedule for a brief moment in time," he said.
Chris Scott, president of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1505, says Winnipeg Transit is meeting the expectations for the recruitment of new drivers. However, he worries there still isn't enough support from the employer.
"When you're constantly being blamed for things, whether it's running late or being assaulted, when the employer is constantly talking to you about you're not performing properly, that wears down on you," Scott said.
"There's no supports to the employees from the employer. That's what I'm being told from my members and that's what I experienced while I was operating a bus."
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
With files from Stephanie Cram and Cameron MacLean