Winnipeg Rapid Transit opening ceremony, April 5 2012

From CBC.ca

“Winnipeg’s new bus rapid transit corridor was tested out Thursday by hundreds of people who are keen to see the city’s newest way of getting around.

Winnipeg Transit has been offering free rides on the $138-million Southwest Transitway all day, just in time for the corridor’s official opening on Sunday.

The turnout was so heavy, extra buses were put into service to accommodate everyone who wanted to check it out. Four buses had initially been put on the route that morning, but seven more were added later, a city spokesperson told CBC News.

The 3.6-kilometre transitway, a designated corridor for buses, allows Winnipeg’s rapid transit buses to travel up to 80 kilometres an hour.

“I think it’s fantastic! Yeah, really. I say I just really hope they get it around the whole city,” said Barry Land, who lives near the corridor.

“Winnipeg’s not that … hard to get around anywhere from point B to point A, but this is really quick; like being on the highway!”

Separate from street system

The Southwest Transitway, separate from the regular street system, begins where Queen Elizabeth Way meets Stradbrook Avenue and runs to the Jubilee overpass, where it connects to Pembina Highway.

Off the corridor, the buses travel down existing diamond lanes.

It takes buses about seven minutes to drive down the corridor itself, including stops at three stations: Fort Rouge, Osborne and Harkness.

It takes a total of 17 minutes, on average, to travel from the University of Winnipeg to Pembina Highway and Windemere.

“At the beginning, I wasn’t a big fan of it. And then, when I came on it, it’s a very good experience and it takes you places where you have to go quickly,” said Iona Castalanos, who hopped on to see what rapid transit would be like.

Many riders who tried out the rapid transit system said they hope more busways will be added to connect parts of the city.

The free rides are scheduled to continue until 8 p.m. The buses are operating every 15 minutes.”