Matt Allard's take on transit

City Councillor Matt Allard (St. Boniface) pledged to use the bus for all of January, and while January may be over, he says his bus use won't be.

Allard said he wanted to get a better understanding of the transit systems operations and its overall experience in Winnipeg.

He had committed to using all routes in his ward which meant he travelled 16 different bus routes with three of them going from his home to work. Those routes included the 10, 43, and 56.

"It does take me longer to get places, but it's been pretty good. It's been so good that I've decided to trade in my parking benefits downtown to an eco-path for the winter months. I'll do more than just break even in terms of my family's finances. I'll be walking and biking for the summer months."

He feels that he didn't lose any time travelling on the bus rather than driving his own car to work. "If I do time things right, I can get to city hall fairly quickly. I didn't give up any time at all, really. In terms of my commute, that's going to be it for me for the next few months and I'm looking forward to it."

He's been thinking about this decision for the last week and a half and was careful to ensure it would not affect his work and meetings schedules.

There are a few issues that he will be bringing to the transportation board of Winnipeg because of his experience. "One of the things I heard from drivers, in particular, is the fare-enforcement issues. That's a revenue issue for the system but also a moral issue for those who do pay and the drivers who are affected. There are more technical issues as well such as the Peggo-board not working, and bus tracking through the apps which don't 100% work too. I'll be checking in on those as well."

Allard thinks that if we are attempting to grow our city to a million people by 2030, our roads cannot handle that many cars. He says that if he is to encourage people to walk, cycle, and use transit more, he needed to do that himself.