Steinbach group calling for public transportation

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This article was published 05/06/2023 (702 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A group in Steinbach is calling for a public transportation system in the city that would meet the needs of residents.

South East Equity Coalition (SEEC) has sent 1,300 surveys out to community stakeholders and residents asking if there is a need for public transportation and what they would like to see if such a system were implemented.

“We knew we needed to talk to the people not just assume that we knew what they needed because they know best and what kept communicating over and over was the need for public transportation that was affordable,” said SEEC spokesperson Gay Boese.

She shared that some of the people that need transit for its convenience and affordability are seniors, young families, and people on a fixed income.

“We want to find out where people need to go and we also have to work with the city to figure out what is feasible, what’s reasonable, what we can do. I’m pretty sure we will start slow and with something small…and then build and figure out is it a loop that goes every so many minutes or hours…There are all sorts of different types of public transportation that’s possible and until we get some information from the people who might be using it (we won’t know what to advocate for). We’re not saying this is how it has to be, we’re saying we want to find out for sure what’s needed, who needs it, and how we can make that happen.”

There was a study done in 2006 that examined whether a public transportation system was feasible in Steinbach. The conclusion according to Boese was that it was feasible for a city of Steinbach’s size and population (then set at 10,000 people) to support a transit system, yet when it went to council it was denied.

Now with a population of 17,806 people there is still interest in public transportation.

In SEEC’s research it contacted the City of Selkirk to get information about its transit system. It has also contacted the cities of Portage (pop. 13,304), Morden (pop. 10,000), and Winkler (pop. 13,745) as they have done feasibility studies on a transit system in their communities.

Selkirk has a population of 10,504 people with a three-route bus system that runs from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Friday and from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturdays. It costs $2 to ride the bus. Selkirk transit is run by the non-profit Selkirk Transit Authority and is funded by the municipality, ridership, sponsors, and advertisers. The city pays $285,000 a year to run the transit system compared to the $600,000 it pays to run its outdoor pool for two months. It also adds $95,000 annually to a capital fund for restoration services for its buses.

Selkirk CAO Duane Nicol said it took seven years for the transit system to come into fruition, but 22 years later he said transit is successful in terms of the quality of life it brings, value to the community, and value to the environment. He noted transit was instrumental in building density in the community and that ridership has exponentially grown every year since transit first began.

“You may not think you need it today and there’s probably a strong argument saying you don’t absolutely need it today, but if you want to be prepared for the next couple of decades then this is our thinking: We want to have a more modern progressive urban form and that is only achieved by having active transportation and public transportation available in your community.”

What helped Selkirk have a successful transit system was full citizen engagement in the process and adapting the transit system to meet the needs of the community.

“It’s taking a hard look at our system and saying how do we continue to improve it. Are there new technologies, new services, that we can offer to improve it. Any community that is looking at transit today they have more options than we had when we started.”

Other small communities in the province that have transit systems are Thompson, Flin Flon, and Brandon.

Thompson (pop. 15,000) has two routes running from 7:30 a.m. to 6:10 p.m. It costs $2 for adults and $1.50 for youth and seniors to take the bus.

Flin Flon (pop. 5,185) has had a bus service for 30 years. It costs $2 for adults, $1.50 for students and seniors to ride the bus from 5:25 a.m. to 6:50 p.m. Monday to Friday and 11:30 a.m. to 6:50 p.m. Saturdays.

In Brandon (pop. 51,313) it costs $1.75 for adults and $1.35 for seniors to ride the bus from 6 a.m. to midnight Monday to Saturday and 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday.

There are three governance models should Steinbach decide to have a transit system. They include a public system that is city owned and operated; a private contracted out transit service; and a community owned and operated system like in Selkirk where a not-for-profit or a society is responsible for the operation and maintenance of the system.

The 2006 study states that while the city is an “ideal community to implement a transportation system, finding the right solution will require a community effort that must involve bringing all sectors together in a comprehensive planning process.

“However, fundamental to the success of moving any initiative forward will require a political champion, most likely the Mayor who will then need to leverage support from the other levels of government as well as rallying the local community to support and build a system truly representative of the needs of Steinbach.”

Mayor Earl Funk said he will meet with SEEC in late June to discuss their findings, but in the meantime he has already spoken with representatives from Portage, Brandon, Toronto, and Selkirk.

“A lot of the small urban centers are having huge challenges with transit. A lot of it is outdated service, outdated routes, that kind of stuff. Many of them are looking at it of how can they make it viable and make it work and make it have value at this time, because people are changing, things are changing. Even the deputy mayor of Toronto said their ridership is down 30 percent…it’s a huge revenue hit to that service that they are giving,” said Funk.

While Funk reiterated these are early days regarding transit and its something council will have to look at once all the information they receive from SEEC and the 2006 study is examined, he said a community owned and operated system like they have in Selkirk might be the model for Steinbach. He estimated the cost could be between $1 million and $4 million to have a transit system in the city.

Funk noted the transit plan will be included in the official community plan.

“At least there will be a policy for it now and that’s further than we’ve ever been.”

There is currently a regional transit plan in the works being spearheaded by the RM of Piney. Boese said the SEEC is aware of the plan and wants to work together if possible.

“Can we coordinate somehow? Different emphasis and yet not. Basically, they’re emphasis is how can we enable people in rural communities to age in place?…How can we work together with that? We know that usually with public transportation in a city there are peak times at the beginning and the end of the day. So, what happens to the buses and the drivers in the middle of the day? Perhaps we can share perhaps we can work together. I believe strongly in working together.”

Those who would like to share their thoughts on a public transportation system can email SEECoalition@outlook.com.