Major transit overhaul gets green light

Brandon City Council voted for a new transit plan on Monday that could increase the number of evening pickups, reconfigure routes and add more stops on the North Hill.

In an 8-1 vote, council approved one of the proposed options from Watt Consulting Group that would also see buses arrive at stops more often during the week.

Consultants will come back with a final plan at budget time after taking council’s final concerns into account.

Mayor Jeff Fawcett said while the details aren’t “etched in stone,” it is a “good plan” that will provide transit riders with more frequent pickups.

“As the city grows, we want to make sure that it’s easier for people to get around,” Fawcett said after the meeting.

The new model would increase transit operating costs by $2,750,000 per year. The city budgeted $8.8 million for operating costs this year. The 2025 budget forecasts an increase to $9.3 million next year.

According to the presentation, increased evening buses for some routes and primary bus stop improvements could happen as soon as next spring. Route changes and restructuring with additional buses would start in 2027 and be completed as late as 2029, Panicker said.

Bus fares would also be increased to $2.50, while day passes would be introduced at $5 in the fall of 2027. Fares are currently $2 for adults and $1.50 for youth and seniors.

Coun. Greg Hildebrand (Ward 5) was the only councillor to vote against city administration’s recommended plan, citing concerns about safety for people using bus stops on Braecrest Drive.

“I see the huge number of people that don’t have vehicles — their safety is at risk right now, where the bus stop is, where they are walking,” Hildebrand said after the meeting.

“They’re far from any warmth of shelter. They’re far from any proper sidewalk. They’re walking through ditches. They’re walking through snow.”

It’s better to raise concern now while there is opportunity to tweak the plan, Hildebrand said.

The new transit model would decrease the number of community routes to seven from the current eight. The industrial routes would remain unchanged, a city spokesperson said on Friday.

The switch would also improve service to the Stickney Avenue area. It would switch to three exchange zones — at the Corral Centre, the Shoppers Mall and the existing downtown terminal. Currently all buses go downtown.

Fawcett said having three hubs would be a positive step, as the Shoppers Mall sees a lot of traffic.

The new model would have two “main anchor routes,” consultant Shilpa Panicker told council over the Teams platform.

Coun. Heather Karrouze, whose ward covers Braecrest Drive and all of the North Hill, said she voted in favour of the recommended plan because tweaks are still possible.

“The city manager made it clear that the timing of changes to the service were still to be determined and discussed,” the Ward 1 councillor said on Friday.

“The fact that we are looking at an option that brings service — better service — to the North Hill and to the Stickney area, I think is important.”

Safety is a concern, Karrouze said, which is why she previously asked city administration to look at moving a stop on 18th Street North to a safer area. Sidewalks in the neighbourhood are also in the works, she noted.

City manager Dave Wardrop said council’s decision is a “template strategy” so consultants can tweak the plan. The timeline is also a proposal, he said, and is still subject to council’s approval at budget time.

Council on Monday also voted to fund up to $45,000 for renovations at the downtown Transit Information Centre. Additional discussions on the centre, and its potential new washrooms, will be discussed at budget time.

Coun. Tyson Tame (Ward 10) and Coun. Kris Desjarlais (Ward 2) weren’t at Monday’s meeting.

» alambert@brandonsun.com