Free bus rides home from IG Field to be cut following Bombers training camp

Winnipeg Blue Bombers fans who take regular transit buses to IG Field won't be able to get free rides back from the stadium by the time the regular CFL season gets into full swing.

Winnipeg Transit plans to begin charging for return rides from the stadium at the University of Manitoba's Fort Garry campus, as a result of the Winnipeg Football Club's decision to stop subsidizing the service.

Since 2014, Bomber fans who take transit to home games have paid the fares for trips to the stadium but were able to ride back for free. This system allowed for rapid boardingat Stadium Station, an oval platform north of IG Field that ranks as thelargest of the city's bus rapid transit stations.

The return free rides will remain in place on Friday, when the Bombers hostEdmonton in a pre-season game. But the city will eventually begin charging for the return rides, Winnipeg Football Club president and CEO Wade Miller said Wednesday.

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This follows the Bombers' decision to stop paying for the service. In 2018, the club provided the city with $314,000 to add additional transit buses to regular routes, communications director Darren Cameron said.

The city still plans to add more buses to seven university-bound transit routes on its own. Winnipeg Transit has asked council for $854,000 in additional funding to allow transit to serve all major events.

A report to council said the city was expecting to receive this revenue this year. Winnipeg Transit declined repeated requests by CBC News to explain where else the service expected to recover this money, if not from the Winnipeg Football Club.

There will be no changes to park-and-ride service this year, Miller said, aside from one new pickup location. The Taylor Avenue park-and-ride lot has been moved to Grant Park Shopping Centre because of construction.

The club will continue to run a free shuttle bus around IG Field anda free bike valet service at the stadium, and will offer paid parking at approximately 5,000 stalls on the U of M campus, the Bombers said in a statement.