Transit Priority Seating Review

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Consultation has concluded

More information on transit priority seating available on our Accessible Transit webpage. 

Introduction

The City of Winnipeg is committed to improving the accessibility of our transit system. One aspect of this involved establishing designated priority seating areas on conventional buses.

To better understand the needs of transit users and develop processes that recognize the needs of transit users with disabilities, the City asked for feedback through a survey and discussion forum. Your feedback, along with a jurisdictional scan and Winnipeg Transit data were used to make recommendations for the future of priority space on Transit buses and a Council approved

More information on transit priority seating available on our Accessible Transit webpage. 

Introduction

The City of Winnipeg is committed to improving the accessibility of our transit system. One aspect of this involved establishing designated priority seating areas on conventional buses.

To better understand the needs of transit users and develop processes that recognize the needs of transit users with disabilities, the City asked for feedback through a survey and discussion forum. Your feedback, along with a jurisdictional scan and Winnipeg Transit data were used to make recommendations for the future of priority space on Transit buses and a Council approved Priority and Courtesy Seating Area Policy.

Background

On May 19, 2020, the Standing Policy Committee on Infrastructure Renewal and Public Works asked the public service to review the issues of accessibility for Transit customers related to policies for strollers, priority and courtesy seating and operator assistance.

This review builds on the February 2019 discussion paper outlining the Accessible Transportation Standard Terms of Reference, as part of the Accessibility for Manitobans Act (AMA). The provincial Accessibility Advisory Council (AAC) has drafted a Transportation Accessibility Standard in accordance with the AMA, part of which outlines new standards for priority seating and mobility aid spaces for transportation service providers, including Winnipeg Transit.

Issues with first-come, first-served priority seating:

  • Winnipeg Transit experiences high volumes of transit riders at different points in the day and this leads to crowded buses and ‘pass-ups’ (when riders waiting are passed because the bus is too full to accommodate them).
  • There are challenges with pass-ups for all transit riders and that is why the City is working on a Transit Master Plan that proposes a high frequency network.
  • Accessible spaces (seats at the front of the bus where the benches flip up) on transit buses are limited and there is currently a ‘first come, first served’ approach.An image of the accessible seating area as it is currently located on Winnipeg Transit buses
  • A first-come, first-served approach to priority space is not aligned with the Accessibility For Manitobans Act transportation standard.An image of current accessibility signage on Winnipeg Transit buses



You may also read the summary of similar policies from other cities.

Consultation has concluded
  • January 2023 – Transit’s new Priority and Courtesy Seating Area Policy

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    Transit’s new Priority and Courtesy Seating Area Policy went into effect on October 5, 2022 after the Policy was approved by Council in July 2021.

    Be mindful of others and look for signs that tell riders which areas of the bus should be offered to those in greater need.

    Priority Seating Area Sign

    Courtesy Seating Area Sign

    Thank you to all those who participated in the Transit Priority Seating Review – your feedback contributed to a more accessible Winnipeg Transit.

    To learn more about all of the accessible features of Winnipeg Transit, visit Winnipeg Transit’s Rider Guide.

  • December 2, 2020 – Report to Council

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    A summary of public and stakeholder feedback received is now available online. This summary will be presented to the Standing Policy Committee on Infrastructure Renewal and Public Works (SPC-IRPW) on Friday, December 4, 2020. The meeting agenda is now online, including the full report.

    If you would like to appear as a delegation, please contact the City Clerk's Department by 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, Dec.3.

    Please note: An earlier version of this report included an inappropriate comment in the survey results. The comment has since been removed.

    We apologize for missing this comment in our editing of survey responses prior to posting.

    Using inappropriate and offensive language when providing feedback is not acceptable.

    Please see moderation rules for this site for more information.

  • September 16 - Thank you!

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    Thank you to everyone who has taken time to provide feedback. Surveys were accepted until September 15, 2020. Feedback is currently being reviewed and a summary of the engagement process will be posted online.

  • August 18, 2020 - Share your feedback

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    The City of Winnipeg is currently reviewing options related to priority seating on transit. Feedback may be provided through the online survey and discussion forum on this website until September 15.