Bumps in the road as students collect free bus passes

Alexis Enns left her guidance counsellor’s office empty-handed, but no less excited about starting Grade 12 — even though she still didn’t know how she would get there or her timetable — on Tuesday.

“My summer was pretty boring,” the 17-year-old said after an unsuccessful trip to get her free bus pass and bearings at Technical Vocational High School.

“I like back-to-school. I like having somewhere to be every day and something to do every day.”

For some families in the Winnipeg School Division, hers included, the 2026-27 academic year kicked off with delays related to the rollout of free youth transit and course schedules.

At the same time, along with typical preparations for classes beginning Wednesday and later this week, employees were busy cleaning up leaks and backed-up sewage in buildings affected by a long weekend storm.

Alexis said the start of every term is disorganized because students are adjusting their schedules, but this one is proving to be particularly chaotic in spite of her efforts to prepare for it.

City school boards announced last week that, immediately after Labour Day, they were launching a new pilot to distribute Winnipeg Transit passes to students aged 12 and up. Grade 11 and 12 students are supposed to be the first in line.

Alexis was told on Tuesday that she’d have to wait a little longer for her school to distribute passes and find out where welding is slotted in her schedule.

The release of timetables has been delayed in some buildings as administrators in her division, the largest in the province, transition to a new student information management system. It’s meant that students receive hard copies on the first day of class rather than online versions in advance.

“That’s a minor inconvenience and something that we take to heart,” chief superintendent Matt Henderson said about the disruptions to transit and timetables.

There’s bound to be bumps in rolling out any complex pilot, Henderson said, adding he’s heard tons of positive feedback about schools partnering with the city and province to bus students to school, work and extracurriculars for free this year.

There have been some glitches related to the software transition from Mayet to PowerSchool, but he said moving away from an “antiquated system” will ultimately benefit all community members.

“There’s some real momentum going into this year,” the superintendent said.

Sandra Herbst, superintendent of the River East Transcona School Division, echoed his optimism about the free transit pilot and its impact on attendance this year.

“A small act like this can, in fact, be life-changing for a family and that’s the beauty of the public education system,” said Herbst, who oversees the second largest school division in Manitoba.

She said the initiative is another tool to bolster student engagement, in addition to the walking school buses and nutrition programs.

Principals have historically used discretionary funds to buy and distribute a limited number of bus tickets to students in need of financial support.

Alexis said her middle school gave out free tickets, but since entering Tec Voc, she’s often found herself short on change and relied on bus drivers to cut her some slack.

“It is really stressful, standing at the bus stop and thinking, ‘Is this bus driver going to let me on?’” the Grade 12 student said. “Especially in the winter time and it’s -40 C or in the peak of summer and it’s 40 C — it’s not fun to stand out in the cold or stand out in the heat.”

James Van Gerwen, president of the union for Winnipeg Transit operators, called the rollout of free youth passes “a great idea” but he said passengers of all ages should prepare for delays as everyone adjusts to increased ridership.

“I would like all the students to actually have their passes ready to show (before they board). That makes the process a lot smoother and it’ll help get the busses out quicker,” the leader of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1505 said.

A provincial spokesperson said in a statement that “the full rollout” of Grade 11 and 12 passes is taking place throughout the first week of school.

The second phase, which targets Grade 9 and 10 students, is scheduled to begin during the second-last week of September.

Middle years students who are 12 and older are anticipated to be eligible during the final week of the month.

Manitoba has budgeted approximately $10 million to support the rollout of free public transit for students in major urban centres.

maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca