Air conditioning makes taking transit 'cooler,' says city

The first fleet of Winnipeg Transit buses outfitted with air conditioning hit city streets this week, part of an effort to increase transit ridership.

"For three years, I've had people who use transit ask me why we don't turn on the air conditioning on the buses. The facts are, there never was any air conditioning," said Mayor Sam Katz.

"If you want to build transit and have more and more people using it, if you don't give them the right environment and make them feel comfortable, they're not going to use it. Who are we kidding?"

Ten of the air-conditioned buses began operating this week. The mayor says a total of 30 will be up and running this summer, and the city plans to add 30 more to the fleet every year.

Coun. Jenny Gerbasi said while she's all for more people taking the bus, she's concerned about the reduction in fuel efficiency. Air conditioning can increase fuel use by up to 20 per cent, according to Natural Resources Canada.

"Everything is a trade-off, and these days, fuel economy is a fairly important issue," Gerbasi said.

Katz acknowledges running air conditioning on buses may decrease fuel efficiency but insists it's a necessary evil to get more people taking public transportation, thereby reducing the number of cars on the streets.

"[It's] no different than when we provide them with heat in the wintertime," he said.

Gerbasi said if the city really wants to encourage transit use, the government should create rapid-transit options for riders.

"I think a lot of people agree with that, that we have to really speed up the travel time, and I think that will really get people on the bus," she said.

Nearly $18 million in federal funding for rapid transit is available this year, but the city hasn'tyet said how it will spend it.

Katz said the city will have an announcement on the issue in July.