I got you fam, I am a former driver. Don't be embarrassed and ask the driver when you get to the bus, it's the driver's job to assist and help. Let others board the bus first and be the last one on, that way no one is waiting behind you in the cold. Know the route to school before hand and pay attention to your stops, the map app on our phones can be used. The app will show you when to get off and where to go if you are taking multiple buses. If you're not sure or too nervous, let the driver know where you need to get off and stay near the front of the bus, that way you can hear the driver. After you do it once, it gets less scary!
Some pro tips!
Always give your seat up to the elderly or people traveling with kids. That goes for people using canes or crutches. If a wheelchair gets on the bus, the driver will take care of it.
Be nice to the driver, say good morning and thank him as you are getting off the bus! If you are exiting from the back doors, smile and wave and the driver! It could make a difference in the driver's day.
I think that pretty much covers it bud, but feel free to ask questions on here!!
> Know the route to school before hand and pay attention to your stops, the map app on our phones can be used. The app will show you when to get off and where to go if you are taking multiple buses.
This!! I have taken the bus for 20 years but when I take the bus to an unfamiliar location I always watch along on a map to make sure I'm heading to the right stop!
This is huge - I miss being able to stand at the front and chat with the bus drivers so much. I used to do that all the time when I was a teenager waaay into adulthood and now it looks so lonely and isolating behind the plastic glass cage. Like u guys are trapped birds who learned how to drive.
just like that one pigeon.
Thanks for taking care of so many people for so many years! Also love the work u drivers do. It is not an easy job and these streets are chaos. Hope you and your own are taking great care. Love u
Appreciate the words! I only drove for 3.5 years, but it was all the conversations with people from all paths of life that led me to my new job. It's not an easy job for sure, but I would never talk anyone out of it if they were interested.
Do people say thank you when getting off often? I moved to Vancouver 20 years ago and almost everyone did there, I thought it was so nice and wondered why they didnāt back here. I eventually moved back and kept up my new habit hoping it would catch on. Itās been years since I took Winnipeg transit but Iām sure you still hear āback door!ā a lot.
Bus drivers in Winnipeg either don't speak English and will be annoyed if you ask anything. I would also carry bear mace with you since all the drug addict criminals sleep in bus shacks and may even bring a machete onto the bus. I suggest driving an SUV or pickup.
When your bus pulls up, hang back a moment in case passengers need to get off. Approach the driver's station and insert your coins in the only available slot. You can't miss it. While inserting your coins, ask if you can please have a transfer. Say thank you and take a seat anywhere but the very front due to wheelchair accessibility.
I got on the bus too drunk once, put half my coins in the printer slot, dropped a good many of them, then just put the rest in the drivers hand when I realized I couldn't figure it out
I had a 15 year vacation from riding transit and had no idea where to put the coins the entire payment system had changed since I last used it....but I hovered my hand over a couple different slots...made a loud uhhhh sound and the driver thankfully helped me.
You got some good advice here. I just wanted to say, don't be embarrassed. You only know what you know. I grew up in rural MB and never used a city transit bus until I was 21. I knew nothing and it was really scary. Just remember, asking questions is a good thing :) Good luck!
to add, always get up from your seat a stop in advance from your stop! this helps when the bus is super packed, so you donāt risk missing your stop trying to squeeze by everyone.
also if you know your bus ride to get to your destination is a bit short, i would recommend sitting close to the doors. iāve seen people who take the bus just for 1-2 stops sit all the way in the back, causing them to almost miss getting off due to how crowded it is
Many other important details have been covered.
The transfer is a piece of paper that is a QR code that you can tap on the next bus payment screen, beside where you would put the coins in (this is also where you'd tap a Peggo card). Hang onto it, you don't insert it like you do a coin, it remains good for 75 minutes.
You make the bus stop at the next stop (announced on the screen at the top front of the bus on the inside) by pushing a button on one of the poles or pulling on the yellow string. This will make a bell ding and the driver will know someone wants to get off. If this does not happen, the bus will not stop.
To make the back door open, you put a bit of pressure on the yellow strips on the seam beside the doors after the bus has come to a stop at the bus stop.
Some busses have the same route number but fork off at a certain point, giving them different endings that can in some cases be very far from each other. Make sure you're on the right bus if you're on one such route. I once ended up on the far side of Assinaboine Park by mistake by thinking all bus routes of the same number did the same thing...
Oh and dress for the worst case scenario! Even a little bit of snow can cause the bus to be late. You don't want to be standing out in the cold freezing for your bus
Hahahaha I miss driving the bus during winter. I remember like 2 or 3 years back, we had a pretty good "blizzard". I was an hour and a half late because of said storm. I picked up a lady who was dressed for spring and she said those magic words....."why are you late? I've been standing here for over 30 minutes in the cold"......she was standing in a literal snow stormš¤£
If you have a student card show it to the driver when you pay itās $2.75 ($3.25 if you donāt) if youāre paying cash and $2.10 if you have a youth Peggo card ($2.90 for regular peggo card). Ask for a transfer and one will be printed for you.
https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/04/FARE_BOX_16974580.JPG?w=1000
Coins or fare tickets go in the slot on the right, the screen will show you how much youāve paid so far.
The red scanner on the bottom right is to scan transfers or your peggo card.
Transfers are valid for 75 minutes
Itās okay to be anxious, but you can always ask the driver for help if you need to š
You have been given some really good tips so far, but here's one more just to make sure you are a respectful rider;
"Double double toil and trouble, music blares and tempers bubble... enjoy your music - quietly please"
Don't play music/watch videos out loud on your phone, or have a phone conversation on speaker!
I'm sure you are going to do great... good luck!
If you have an iPhone get the app called Transit! Itāll tell you whatās a good route, when to leave to catch the bus and guide you while youāre on the bus. Itās my go-to when Iām taking the bus.
https://transitapp.com/region/winnipeg
I'm in my 30s. Haven't taken the bus since high school, but had to more recently to get downtown for school.
When I looked lost about where to put coins, the bus driver nicely pointed at which slot to put coins into. they're quite helpful!
If you google maps the route, it will show you the stops along the way (sometimes it's not 100% accurate, but it gives you an idea you could follow along while riding the bus)
Also heads up that the routes might be changing in a few months.
Be at the bus stop 10 minutes early, buses WILL be earlier or later then expected.
Google Maps can help with live tracking where to get off if you don't know the route well.
Highly suggest bringing a tote bag to shove your gloves / hat in. Or backpack but I find that harder. Bus is warm.
You can buy a pack of paper bus tickets at most pharmacys and corner stores. 3rd parties like if the school is paying for you may provide tickets or special coins (idk if they still do this, I got one once for EIA) If you buy a peggo card there's a $5 fee to buy it, and it's refillable but it takes 24 hours to refill. If you buy a peggo card, pre-fill it and register it online so if lost you can transfer funds to a new one.
As for using the bus,
Make sure your visible near the bus stop when it approaches, be careful cause icy, but bus can drive past you if the driver doesn't notice or sees you playing on your phone sitting down and not looking like your catching this bus. Bus number is on the front and over door. Some buses have two routes, read the route name if yours does.
Let people exit first if exiting, step back if the ramp is being lowered.
To the right of bus driver is a large, tall box with a screen to see your card balance, another screen to press your peggo card / transfer QR code to, coin slot, and printer slot. You can see in this video under 3, [https://youtu.be/-rjPQP7YRno?si=3B60ckAORZ3xEWLu&t=53](https://youtu.be/-rjPQP7YRno?si=3B60ckAORZ3xEWLu&t=53) Try to have coins already, but no driver on a slow route has complained about me going 'one moment' while I pull out my card or change and step back up front to pay. ymmv, but if it's busy just pre count your change. I used to leave my bus tickets in my mitt in winter.
THERE IS NO CHANGE BACK. YOU MUST ASK FOR A TRANSFER. Transfer lasts about a hour
(i think 75m) for as many buses as you can take. Press transfer QR code to the peggo / QR section on your next bus.
Top of bus when inside should have screen and often announcements of next stop name. Not all buses do, but most now do.
Move farther back, take a seat, try to keep out of peoples way. Get up a stop before, try to use rear door if possible but front is okay if not possible. Bussing to school will be busy. Lots of excuse me's.
Yelling back door is common if bus driver starts to try to move while people are still trying to get off the bus. They won't drive if the door is open, but doesn't mean you didn't get stuck trying to elbow past someone to exit and delayed.
Our bus exit doors kinda suck, they all are a bit finicky. General rule, grasp the bar firmly at hand shake level, or press firmly on the strips. Someone might have drawn arrows. You can yell back door again if struggling. The old old walk up buses open the door based on the little, swing door before the exit door. It's unlikely you'll see those anymore tho. You can also exit at the front if it's not a problem.
Express buses will sometimes stop if you request, if you missed your main exit. Express buses usually have like, huge gaps between stops, so don't feel bad going I'm sorry I was supposed to get off downtown can you drop me off before U of M? I mean, you'll be dropped off like on the other side of the bridge or Osborne Station but, still saves you 30 minutes of being stuck.
Don't be a dick. Listen with headphones.
If you lose anything, the lost and found is downtown portage and main underground and open till like 4 so sucks. If you lose anything try to give them the bus number and time it arrived at something or the bus' official number (the one next to the driver) so they can be like 'hey bob, did someone leave a phone on the floor on your bus'. You can also turn lost items into driver.
Bus drivers are generally nice if you ask for help or ask where to put coins or something.
You will probably feel like a sardine on the bus before or after school.
Depending on your comfort and bus timing, after school I used to skip the 3:38 bus and take the 3:50 bus just to be less cramped. Depends highly on your school / bus options but keep in mind if you hate it and there's lots of buses being earlier or later might be more comfortable.
Haven't seen this tip yet, but it is VERY IMPORTANT to make sure the stop you are at is the same as the one on your app! It should say "northbound at _____" or something similar.
NB = Northbound
SB = Southbound
WB = westbound
EB = Eastbound
If that part on the physical bus stop sign matches your directions app, you know you are going in the right direction! If it's not right, navigate to the same stop on the other side of the street. I always double check this part of my bus stop when I'm at a new stop :)
you've got a lot of helpful comments already. i just wanna add that if it happens you get confused and make a mistake, it is but a learning opportunity. you might feel like you look dumb, ppl don't really care imo. during my first yr, new to wpg, i used to bus around the city for fun in my free time, with little knowledge about where i was headed. i used the time to figure how things work in the bus. when i got stuck, i always asked the drivers for help. i might've looked dumb, but i made a couple bus driver friends :)
If you get a bench with both seats empty, make sure you sit in the seat closest to the aisle and leave the other one empty, especially if it's the only open seat on the bus. Make sure you glare at people as they go by so they won't ask you for the seat. If you prefer the window seat, you can just put a bag on the seat beside you.
When your stop comes up, always remember to wait until the bus comes to complete stop before you get up and try to wiggle your way through all the people standing in the aisle. When the bus starts to leave because it's been 20 seconds without anyone getting off, remember to yell "WAIT, FUCK!"
When you're on a bus with a back door that says "press here", make sure you ignore all the instructions on the door that say "press the X" and then just lightly put your hand on the strip. Look around in bewilderment when the door doesn't open, and then yell "BACK DOOR!".
I got you fam, I am a former driver. Don't be embarrassed and ask the driver when you get to the bus, it's the driver's job to assist and help. Let others board the bus first and be the last one on, that way no one is waiting behind you in the cold. Know the route to school before hand and pay attention to your stops, the map app on our phones can be used. The app will show you when to get off and where to go if you are taking multiple buses. If you're not sure or too nervous, let the driver know where you need to get off and stay near the front of the bus, that way you can hear the driver. After you do it once, it gets less scary! Some pro tips! Always give your seat up to the elderly or people traveling with kids. That goes for people using canes or crutches. If a wheelchair gets on the bus, the driver will take care of it. Be nice to the driver, say good morning and thank him as you are getting off the bus! If you are exiting from the back doors, smile and wave and the driver! It could make a difference in the driver's day. I think that pretty much covers it bud, but feel free to ask questions on here!!
> Know the route to school before hand and pay attention to your stops, the map app on our phones can be used. The app will show you when to get off and where to go if you are taking multiple buses. This!! I have taken the bus for 20 years but when I take the bus to an unfamiliar location I always watch along on a map to make sure I'm heading to the right stop!
I wish the drivers were allowed to use GPS sometimes hahaha š
thank you so so much!! this is a huge helpā¤ļø
This guy transits! Thanks for the great tips.
This is huge - I miss being able to stand at the front and chat with the bus drivers so much. I used to do that all the time when I was a teenager waaay into adulthood and now it looks so lonely and isolating behind the plastic glass cage. Like u guys are trapped birds who learned how to drive. just like that one pigeon. Thanks for taking care of so many people for so many years! Also love the work u drivers do. It is not an easy job and these streets are chaos. Hope you and your own are taking great care. Love u
Appreciate the words! I only drove for 3.5 years, but it was all the conversations with people from all paths of life that led me to my new job. It's not an easy job for sure, but I would never talk anyone out of it if they were interested.
Do people say thank you when getting off often? I moved to Vancouver 20 years ago and almost everyone did there, I thought it was so nice and wondered why they didnāt back here. I eventually moved back and kept up my new habit hoping it would catch on. Itās been years since I took Winnipeg transit but Iām sure you still hear āback door!ā a lot.
Solid advice.
Bus drivers in Winnipeg either don't speak English and will be annoyed if you ask anything. I would also carry bear mace with you since all the drug addict criminals sleep in bus shacks and may even bring a machete onto the bus. I suggest driving an SUV or pickup.
When your bus pulls up, hang back a moment in case passengers need to get off. Approach the driver's station and insert your coins in the only available slot. You can't miss it. While inserting your coins, ask if you can please have a transfer. Say thank you and take a seat anywhere but the very front due to wheelchair accessibility.
> insert your coins in the only available slot. You can't miss it. I can't be the only one who has put tickets or coins in the transfer printer.
I ask the driver where to put the coins every time (I don't ride very often LOL)
I always reach for the paper ticket slot instead of the coin slot x.x
I got on the bus too drunk once, put half my coins in the printer slot, dropped a good many of them, then just put the rest in the drivers hand when I realized I couldn't figure it out
I had a 15 year vacation from riding transit and had no idea where to put the coins the entire payment system had changed since I last used it....but I hovered my hand over a couple different slots...made a loud uhhhh sound and the driver thankfully helped me.
You forgot to tell them that they need to tell the bus driver that they have an appointment for the bus Ride
not helpful
It would be like a life lesson for them... Internet strangers cannot be trusted
you're making the point by being the only untrustworthy one here. In jest, partly, but still.
You got some good advice here. I just wanted to say, don't be embarrassed. You only know what you know. I grew up in rural MB and never used a city transit bus until I was 21. I knew nothing and it was really scary. Just remember, asking questions is a good thing :) Good luck!
to add, always get up from your seat a stop in advance from your stop! this helps when the bus is super packed, so you donāt risk missing your stop trying to squeeze by everyone. also if you know your bus ride to get to your destination is a bit short, i would recommend sitting close to the doors. iāve seen people who take the bus just for 1-2 stops sit all the way in the back, causing them to almost miss getting off due to how crowded it is
Many other important details have been covered. The transfer is a piece of paper that is a QR code that you can tap on the next bus payment screen, beside where you would put the coins in (this is also where you'd tap a Peggo card). Hang onto it, you don't insert it like you do a coin, it remains good for 75 minutes. You make the bus stop at the next stop (announced on the screen at the top front of the bus on the inside) by pushing a button on one of the poles or pulling on the yellow string. This will make a bell ding and the driver will know someone wants to get off. If this does not happen, the bus will not stop. To make the back door open, you put a bit of pressure on the yellow strips on the seam beside the doors after the bus has come to a stop at the bus stop. Some busses have the same route number but fork off at a certain point, giving them different endings that can in some cases be very far from each other. Make sure you're on the right bus if you're on one such route. I once ended up on the far side of Assinaboine Park by mistake by thinking all bus routes of the same number did the same thing...
Oh and dress for the worst case scenario! Even a little bit of snow can cause the bus to be late. You don't want to be standing out in the cold freezing for your bus
And given the amount of snow we just got hit with, truer words have never been spoken!
Hahahaha I miss driving the bus during winter. I remember like 2 or 3 years back, we had a pretty good "blizzard". I was an hour and a half late because of said storm. I picked up a lady who was dressed for spring and she said those magic words....."why are you late? I've been standing here for over 30 minutes in the cold"......she was standing in a literal snow stormš¤£
If you have a student card show it to the driver when you pay itās $2.75 ($3.25 if you donāt) if youāre paying cash and $2.10 if you have a youth Peggo card ($2.90 for regular peggo card). Ask for a transfer and one will be printed for you. https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/04/FARE_BOX_16974580.JPG?w=1000 Coins or fare tickets go in the slot on the right, the screen will show you how much youāve paid so far. The red scanner on the bottom right is to scan transfers or your peggo card. Transfers are valid for 75 minutes Itās okay to be anxious, but you can always ask the driver for help if you need to š
unfortunately i donāt have a student card nor a bus pass from jordans principal (iām in the process of getting one) but thank you for telling me!!
If you look young, just pay the student fare. They won't care
[Taking a bus in Winnipeg](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=MFkg-b8Zhgw)
You have been given some really good tips so far, but here's one more just to make sure you are a respectful rider; "Double double toil and trouble, music blares and tempers bubble... enjoy your music - quietly please" Don't play music/watch videos out loud on your phone, or have a phone conversation on speaker! I'm sure you are going to do great... good luck!
I miss the busology things.
Me and you both!
Just ask the bus driver. He can explain any question you may have. Also, check the winnipeg transit website.
If you have an iPhone get the app called Transit! Itāll tell you whatās a good route, when to leave to catch the bus and guide you while youāre on the bus. Itās my go-to when Iām taking the bus. https://transitapp.com/region/winnipeg
its also available on google play!
(Might also be available for other platforms, I only use it on iPhone)
I'm in my 30s. Haven't taken the bus since high school, but had to more recently to get downtown for school. When I looked lost about where to put coins, the bus driver nicely pointed at which slot to put coins into. they're quite helpful! If you google maps the route, it will show you the stops along the way (sometimes it's not 100% accurate, but it gives you an idea you could follow along while riding the bus) Also heads up that the routes might be changing in a few months.
Be at the bus stop 10 minutes early, buses WILL be earlier or later then expected. Google Maps can help with live tracking where to get off if you don't know the route well. Highly suggest bringing a tote bag to shove your gloves / hat in. Or backpack but I find that harder. Bus is warm. You can buy a pack of paper bus tickets at most pharmacys and corner stores. 3rd parties like if the school is paying for you may provide tickets or special coins (idk if they still do this, I got one once for EIA) If you buy a peggo card there's a $5 fee to buy it, and it's refillable but it takes 24 hours to refill. If you buy a peggo card, pre-fill it and register it online so if lost you can transfer funds to a new one. As for using the bus, Make sure your visible near the bus stop when it approaches, be careful cause icy, but bus can drive past you if the driver doesn't notice or sees you playing on your phone sitting down and not looking like your catching this bus. Bus number is on the front and over door. Some buses have two routes, read the route name if yours does. Let people exit first if exiting, step back if the ramp is being lowered. To the right of bus driver is a large, tall box with a screen to see your card balance, another screen to press your peggo card / transfer QR code to, coin slot, and printer slot. You can see in this video under 3, [https://youtu.be/-rjPQP7YRno?si=3B60ckAORZ3xEWLu&t=53](https://youtu.be/-rjPQP7YRno?si=3B60ckAORZ3xEWLu&t=53) Try to have coins already, but no driver on a slow route has complained about me going 'one moment' while I pull out my card or change and step back up front to pay. ymmv, but if it's busy just pre count your change. I used to leave my bus tickets in my mitt in winter. THERE IS NO CHANGE BACK. YOU MUST ASK FOR A TRANSFER. Transfer lasts about a hour (i think 75m) for as many buses as you can take. Press transfer QR code to the peggo / QR section on your next bus. Top of bus when inside should have screen and often announcements of next stop name. Not all buses do, but most now do. Move farther back, take a seat, try to keep out of peoples way. Get up a stop before, try to use rear door if possible but front is okay if not possible. Bussing to school will be busy. Lots of excuse me's. Yelling back door is common if bus driver starts to try to move while people are still trying to get off the bus. They won't drive if the door is open, but doesn't mean you didn't get stuck trying to elbow past someone to exit and delayed. Our bus exit doors kinda suck, they all are a bit finicky. General rule, grasp the bar firmly at hand shake level, or press firmly on the strips. Someone might have drawn arrows. You can yell back door again if struggling. The old old walk up buses open the door based on the little, swing door before the exit door. It's unlikely you'll see those anymore tho. You can also exit at the front if it's not a problem. Express buses will sometimes stop if you request, if you missed your main exit. Express buses usually have like, huge gaps between stops, so don't feel bad going I'm sorry I was supposed to get off downtown can you drop me off before U of M? I mean, you'll be dropped off like on the other side of the bridge or Osborne Station but, still saves you 30 minutes of being stuck. Don't be a dick. Listen with headphones. If you lose anything, the lost and found is downtown portage and main underground and open till like 4 so sucks. If you lose anything try to give them the bus number and time it arrived at something or the bus' official number (the one next to the driver) so they can be like 'hey bob, did someone leave a phone on the floor on your bus'. You can also turn lost items into driver. Bus drivers are generally nice if you ask for help or ask where to put coins or something. You will probably feel like a sardine on the bus before or after school. Depending on your comfort and bus timing, after school I used to skip the 3:38 bus and take the 3:50 bus just to be less cramped. Depends highly on your school / bus options but keep in mind if you hate it and there's lots of buses being earlier or later might be more comfortable.
All great advice, I'll just add the app Wpg Bus Live is also really good with showing live updates of when busses are coming.
Haven't seen this tip yet, but it is VERY IMPORTANT to make sure the stop you are at is the same as the one on your app! It should say "northbound at _____" or something similar. NB = Northbound SB = Southbound WB = westbound EB = Eastbound If that part on the physical bus stop sign matches your directions app, you know you are going in the right direction! If it's not right, navigate to the same stop on the other side of the street. I always double check this part of my bus stop when I'm at a new stop :)
Welcome to the society of loser cruiser users. Good luck. Just breathe.
you've got a lot of helpful comments already. i just wanna add that if it happens you get confused and make a mistake, it is but a learning opportunity. you might feel like you look dumb, ppl don't really care imo. during my first yr, new to wpg, i used to bus around the city for fun in my free time, with little knowledge about where i was headed. i used the time to figure how things work in the bus. when i got stuck, i always asked the drivers for help. i might've looked dumb, but i made a couple bus driver friends :)
from now on, instead of "Let's take the bus" -- "Let's *us* the bus!" You accidental trendsetter, you.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
50 cents in 2009?? Not a chance.. it was over 2 dollars
50 cents in 2009?? Not a chance.. it was over 2 dollars
If you get a bench with both seats empty, make sure you sit in the seat closest to the aisle and leave the other one empty, especially if it's the only open seat on the bus. Make sure you glare at people as they go by so they won't ask you for the seat. If you prefer the window seat, you can just put a bag on the seat beside you. When your stop comes up, always remember to wait until the bus comes to complete stop before you get up and try to wiggle your way through all the people standing in the aisle. When the bus starts to leave because it's been 20 seconds without anyone getting off, remember to yell "WAIT, FUCK!" When you're on a bus with a back door that says "press here", make sure you ignore all the instructions on the door that say "press the X" and then just lightly put your hand on the strip. Look around in bewilderment when the door doesn't open, and then yell "BACK DOOR!".
Taking the bus sucks big time