Despite some improvements being made, transit remains less accessible and more unsafe for low income people, women, and those with disabilities.

That's according to findings from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives Manitoba Branch's State of the Inner City Report, which was released Friday afternoon.

The report makes a number of key recommendations to both the city and provincial governments, who split the cost of transit funding in Winnipeg.

Those core recommendations include:

  • Embedding principle of equity in transportation planning,
  • Increasing investment in transit and active transportation,
  • Developing a low income bus pass where the cost is based on a person's income,
  • Improving service for transit-dependent populations by improving Handi-Transit, providing a weekly bus route to the beach to improve social inclusion, developing a pilot program for people who rely on the bus to get to the grocery store and providing sensitivity training for bus drivers,
  • Addressing safety concerns by looking at the root causes of crime,
  • Improving Winnipeg's active transportation network by improving snow removal and installing safety phones; and
  • Addressing safety for Indigenous women in taxis.

The report's researcher and author, Ellen Smirl says what these recommendations are meant to do is make transit more equitable in Winnipeg. She recognizes some of the work that is being done by the city and province but says there is a lot of room for improvement.

"Equity is a little bit different than equality in that it recognizes that people start off at different points and some people need a little more to get them to the same outcomes," Smirl said. "The second overarching recommendation we advocate for is investing better in transit and active transpiration."

"Right now we're just not investing in the same way other cities are," she continued. "We really think that in order to build a more equitable transit system we need to put the money in. So the city and the province both need to step up."

The report says while transit funding has increased from $130,453,326 to $146,336,024 from 2013 to 2016, Winnipeg is still far behind comparable cities like Ottawa and Edmonton, who spent $361,412,924 and $311,928,057 on transit in 2016 respectively.

Both cities had higher rates of people using transit as well.

The report also shows that people in the inner-city rely more on transit to get themselves to vital places such as the grocery store, doctor's offices or to recreational activities more than suburban people do.

Smirl says while that could be because transit access is restricted in some suburban areas, it shows that there is a clear gap between the high income and low income earners.

"Ultimately the goal of this report is not to be divisive in any way," Smirl said. "It's trying to say that certain groups, many of whom live both inside and outside of the inner-city, need a little more support to get that equal footing to be able to take advantage of opportunities that exist."

Smirl says the city is on the right track with the low-income bus pass, which still has to pass a vote by council. She says she hopes the province will reconsider its decision to freeze transit funding for the city of Winnipeg.

The entire report can be viewed at policyalternatives.ca.