The Louis Riel School Division (LRSD) has released findings from a survey revealing significant concerns among families regarding Winnipeg Transit's recent network reconfiguration.

The survey, conducted between September 4-12, 2025, collected responses from 344 families across the division and highlights transportation challenges facing students as the community adapts to the city's updated transit system.

Key Findings

The vast majority of respondents are experiencing difficulties with the reconfigured transit system, with 91.9% of respondents reporting dissatisfaction or high dissatisfaction with current service levels. Only 2.3% of families reported satisfaction with the new routes.

The survey identified several areas where families are encountering challenges:

• 67.3% of families now require their children to take two or more bus routes to travel between home and school
• 64.1% report schedule misalignment with school start times
• 72% of families with transit concerns have contacted or intend to contact the city's 311 service line

School Community Impact

Concerns are evident across all LRSD schools, with particularly notable feedback from high school communities:

• J.H. Bruns Collegiate: 110 out of 115 respondents reported challenges (95.7%)
• Glenlawn Collegiate: 51 out of 54 respondents reported challenges (94.4%)
• Collège Béliveau: 49 out of 55 respondents reported challenges (89.1%)
• Collège Jeanne-Sauvé: 39 out of 43 respondents reported challenges (90.7%)
• Dakota Collegiate: 25 out of 26 respondents reported challenges (96.2%)

Areas for Improvement

The survey identified specific concerns families are navigating with the updated system:

• Multiple bus transfers required (affecting 67.3% of families)
• Schedule coordination with school end times (63.5% report timing challenges)
• Schedule coordination with school start times (64.1% report timing challenges)
• Bus capacity concerns (53.1% report overcrowding issues)

Collaborative Next Steps

LRSD is committed to working to address these transportation gaps via:

• Collaboration with Winnipeg Transit: sharing survey results and working on solutions for service capacity issues, schedule alignment problems, and areas lacking direct high school service.
• Fee-for-service school bus options: offering affected communities expanded route capacity and new routes where demand justifies the service.

Families with questions can contact the division at communications@lrsd.net.

Survey data collected September 4-12, 2025