City eyes $10.5 million upgrade to Winnipeg Transit bus fare collection

A Winnipeg Transit user taps their Peggo card to pay their bus fare in this undated image. (CTV News Winnipeg)

Winnipeggers could one day jump aboard a transit bus and pay their fare with a simple tap of their phone, debit or credit card.

The City of Winnipeg is looking to upgrade Winnipeg Transit’s fare collection system, which is more than a decade old.

“We have to get our mode shift higher than what it is, than people just riding in singular vehicles – but the only way we can do that is to provide a better service,” said Janice Lukes, chair of the city’s public works committee.

A report to the committee outlines three different options for a new fare collection system with varying costs between $6.7 million and $14.3 million.

It recommends what it describes as the ‘silver’ option which comes with a $10.5 million price tag. This option would include mobile tap payments, along with payments from debit and credit cards. It would also include a mobile app for payment.

The city already approved a $6.5 million budget for the project, so the report notes another $4 million would be needed.

Lukes said she plans to support the ask for more city dollars.

“Because we really want to transform the city and how people move around, I’m going to be supporting it,” she said.

Lukes noted the federal government has recently announced new funding for municipal transit systems. She believes this may provide some opportunities for the city to apply for funding rather than cover the cost through debt servicing.

“I think it will pay off in the end.”

You can read the full report here.

The city’s public works committee is set to discuss the options at its next meeting on Tuesday, though a final decision will ultimately require council approval.