Winkler’s On-Demand Transit System is about halfway through its 30-month pilot timeline, but city staff are already crunching the numbers as to what’s working and what’s not.
The City of Winkler has released usage data for the system’s first full year of operation, along with the results of a recent user survey
The made-in-Winkler system is unique in that unlike a traditional fixed-route bus system like you see in larger urban centres, it operates based on rider requests anywhere within the city or to the Boundary Trails Health Centre, with the transit vehicle picking patrons up wherever they may be.
Users can book a ride in advance—using a mobile app, the program’s website, or by phone—up to seven days in advance and be told when the shuttle will arrive within specific time window. Riders are prioritized in the order that their bookings are received, with drivers potentially doing multiple pick-ups and drop-offs on a given run.
The fare is a flat $5 per booking, regardless of where you’re going or how many other passengers are along for the ride.
One thing the first year’s assessment clearly shows is that there is very much a need for public transit in Winkler, noted Mayor Henry Siemens.
“We anecdotally felt that there was a need, but from the usage stats and the fact that it continues to grow, we now know how big the need really was,” he said.
During 2025, the program provided nearly 10,800 trips, averaging about 900 a month. Ridership peaked in the fall and winter months and slowed down a bit through the summer.
Commercial areas made up the bulk of trips (41.1 per cent), with riders also using it to get to residential destinations (34.5 per cent), institutional locations such as medical or civic facilities (16.3 per cent), and industrial sites.
“We’re finding we have some regular users and we’re seeing patterns in terms of when people need rides and where they more need rides from and to,” Siemens noted.
When it comes to the rider experience, most have been rating the service high—averaging 4.6 out of five.
Only 1.5 per cent of requested trips could not be accommodated, which, the City says, indicates the service generally has had enough capacity with its lone active vehicle to meet demand.
Respondents rated the service high on affordability, ease of booking and use, safety and security, and accessibility, but some voiced concerns about its timeliness and reliability—46 per cent of respondents noted that wait times are too long or are unpredictable and 19 per cent said they weren’t able to get a ride for the times they wanted.
That said, the city’s usage data shows over 90 per cent of booked trips over the past year have arrived within the promised 10-minute pickup window. On average, the shuttle completed 2.7 trips per service hour, with the average trip taking a little under 11 minutes.
Siemens noted this system doesn’t operate the way one might expect, for example, a taxi service to run. It does require a bit of advance planning on behalf of users and some patience during peak times when multiple riders may need to get picked up or dropped off.
“Ultimately you can still get a ride, you just may not be able to get a ride exactly when you want, and I think that’s probably the biggest learning curve when I talk to people—this isn’t like jumping in the car at home and driving to the store,” he said. “The trip is going to be a little longer, it’s going to require a little bit more planning, but it’s also going to be less expensive.
“This is an affordable way to move from A to B, but you have to be better at scheduling it and knowing when you need to go and pre-arranging your rides.”
Most riders noted they were happy with the service’s hours of operation, though there was a desire for expanded service weekday evenings and on Sundays. The program currently operates weekdays from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. It does not run Sundays or holidays.
When it came to where the transit vehicles can take people, the most asked-for location not available was Morden. Siemens noted they are not currently in talks with the City of Morden about expanding the system there, but those discussions could come in the future as Winkler firms up its long-term plans for public transit.
The pilot program will continue until the spring of 2027, at which point city council will need to have made a decision about what comes next.
“We don’t yet know—and won’t until probably the pilot is nearly done—what the next step is and how we’re going to build it, but whatever we bring forward is going to be something that the community can afford and something the community needs,” Siemens said.
The mayor noted it’s unlikely, given the data the pilot is already providing, that Winkler would be able to sustain a fixed-route bus system. The current system seems to be working pretty well overall, he said, and is likely a taste of what the permanent program might end up looking like.
“We’re actually having a lot of compliments from people about the fact that they pick you up right from where you want to go and bring you where you want to go,” Siemens said.
Having more transit vehicles on the road could alleviate some of the complaints about the timeliness of the service, though that does come with added costs. Council will need to weigh those types of decisions during budget planning next year. Siemens noted they won’t be making any major changes along those lines until the pilot is nearly complete.
“Council was asked this year if we would change the pilot, would we increase some funding to it, maybe add a second vehicle,” he said. “We chose to take a step back and let the pilot run its course … where we are right now is to stay with it and learn as much as we can.”
He noted they do intend to make decisions about the long-term future of transit in Winkler well before the pilot program officially comes to an end to ensure a seamless transition
“We always go into our annual public planning sessions and make decisions for the following year. Then we finalize that in January,” he said. “I would expect that this will be a huge topic on next fall’s council planning agenda.”
Based on current operating expenses, it’s estimated the annual operating costs of running this program will be about $365,000, with fare revenue coming in at about $3,500 per month.
Siemens hopes the provincial and federal levels of government will come on board to make that price tag more financially sustainable for Winkler.
