Steinbach City Council · Jan 2022 – Sept 2026
Can Steinbach have public transit?
Could a city of about 20,000 like Steinbach realistically run public transit? What has council done about it, what reasons has it given for not going further, and how do similar cities manage it?
Bottom line
- Yes, a city this size can have transit. Winkler, with about 16,000 people, has run an on-demand van since 2024. It costs about $365,000 a year and carries about 900 trips a month, and Winkler has extended it to 2028. Selkirk, with about 10,500 people, has run a bus loop since 2011.
- Steinbach has only ACCESSible Transit, for seniors 55+ and people with mobility challenges. The city grants it $105,000 a year (2026), about 0.24% of the budget, and passes on a $30,000 provincial grant.
- Council has never studied, budgeted for or voted on general transit at a recorded meeting. The new Official Community Plan says only that the city “could consider” it. A local coalition's on-demand plan got verbal support but no endorsement or money.
- Council's reasons: cost and the risk of empty buses, Steinbach being “the automobile city,” not wanting to compete with taxis, a preference for private businesses filling the gap, and wanting a “viable plan” first.
- Steinbach hasn't used the first step peers took: a feasibility study. Federal planning grants of up to $50,000 need no city match. No Steinbach application was found.
Part 1 · The council record
What council has done
ACCESSible Transit: the city's only transit service
The city owns the vans, and since 2022 the Pat Porter Active Living Centre has run the service. It serves residents 55 and older and people with mobility disabilities, weekdays, booked by phone. The province contributes through its Mobility Disadvantaged Transportation Program, and the city covers the rest with an annual grant.
“Looks like we're getting $15,000 grant for Mobility disadvantaged transportation program. Mr. Thiessen, this just gets forwarded to the Pat Porter Active Living Centre for—”
Mayor Earl Funk · Apr 21, 2026 · 1:00:38
“Yep, that's correct. Yeah, they pay us in 2 installments every year for a total of $30,000.”
Adam Thiessen, Senior Manager, Corporate Services · Apr 21, 2026 · 1:01:05
“right now we don't have that partnership with any local transportation agency. businesses other than our, I guess, our Handy Transit, accessible transit, which is subsidized by the province…”
Mayor Earl Funk · Aug 4, 2026 · 1:14:12
A line in the Official Community Plan
“we added a policy statement outlining the ways that the city could consider the future development of a public transportation system.”
City's planning consultant (WSP), presenting the new Official Community Plan · Apr 1, 2025 · 0:21:14
“Transportation, how we move people, either active transportation through pathways and just starting to understand what public transportation looks like.”
Councillor Jac Siemens · Apr 1, 2025 · 0:48:55
Follow-through
| Date | What happened |
|---|---|
| Feb 2022 | Pat Porter Active Living Centre takes over running ACCESSible Transit; the city keeps ownership of the vans. |
| 2022–2026 | Provincial transit grants for accessible transit are received as information at regular meetings. They rise from about $20,000 to $30,000 a year. |
| Jun 2023 | Mayor Funk says the city is “doing its due diligence” on transit, but that “it is very expensive” (SteinbachOnline). |
| Feb 13, 2024 | The South East Equity Coalition presents survey results to council at a session that wasn't a recorded regular meeting. Council members say a bus loop wouldn't work and ask for a cost analysis (SteinbachOnline). |
| Apr 1, 2025 | The new Official Community Plan adds a policy that the city “could consider” public transit. It passed third reading Sept 16, 2025. |
| May 13, 2025 | The coalition presents “LinK Transit”, an on-demand plan with four vans run by Pat Porter. It asks for $6,000 in seed money, an endorsement and grant help. The city gives verbal support only (SteinbachOnline). |
| Late 2025 | A coalition budget request for four vans is not advanced, and the coalition is revising its plan (SteinbachOnline). |
| 2026 budget | Accessible Transit grant of $105,000 in a $43.96M budget (2026 Financial Plan). |
| Jul 2026 | Council says it needs “a viable plan” before acting. The mayor and council were invited to ride Winkler's on-demand van; they did not attend (CBC). |
| Aug 4, 2026 | KodaGo, a Steinbach-built ride-share app, asks council to partner with it. The mayor invites a letter; no motion is made, and no follow-up appears through Sept 15. |
Their reasons for not doing more
1It's expensive, and buses could run empty
These remarks were made outside recorded meetings and are quoted from SteinbachOnline.
“Every time we talk, there is one common theme, it is very expensive.”
Mayor Earl Funk, to SteinbachOnline · Jun 5, 2023
“It would be very expensive and you run the risk of having empty buses driving around.”
Councillor Michael Zwaagstra, on a fixed bus loop, as reported by SteinbachOnline · Feb 2024
At a recorded meeting, the mayor described provincial transit funding as a problem mainly for bigger cities:
“Public transit, that is something that is very dear to a couple of the bigger cities. Brandon and Winnipeg are experiencing great costs with this. We're all going to advocate to go back to the 50/50. funding return because the cost is killing the communities that are providing transit.”
Mayor Earl Funk, reporting on the Manitoba municipalities convention · Apr 15, 2025 · 0:03:49
Council's own members agreed early that a fixed bus loop was the wrong model. In February 2024 Councillor Susan Penner said she “really appreciated that they addressed that a bus loop would not work.” The coalition's plan, and Winkler's service, use on-demand vans that only run when someone books a ride (see Finding 2).
2Steinbach is “the automobile city”
“But we also realize that we are the automobile city and we do have to make sure that our vehicles still have a place on the road.”
Mayor Earl Funk · Apr 1, 2025 · 0:46:15
“The reality is that most people in Steinbach do drive vehicles, particularly in the winter months, and we're not going to do anything to impede that.”
Councillor Michael Zwaagstra, on the Active Transportation Plan · May 6, 2025 · 1:05:04
“In Steinbach, the vast majority of people who have cars— so that is just simply how most people get around, including people who live on Main Street.”
Councillor Michael Zwaagstra · Nov 18, 2025 · 0:49:58
Over 90% of Steinbach commuters drove to work in 2021 (Census). People who can't drive are a smaller group, but they depend on getting rides. In the coalition's survey of 751 people, mostly from its client groups, 32% walk, 23% get rides from others and 12% take taxis. ACCESSible Transit rides grew from 3,853 in 2022 to 5,477 in 2023, and the coalition says the volunteer-run service often has to turn requests down. A resident asked at the 2025 plan hearing:
“Because also, how will seniors get around if they can't use their automobiles?”
A.B., resident · Apr 1, 2025 · 0:42:51
Councillor Siemens has pointed the other way: “Our planning has always been… how do we move the vehicles? It's not how do we move people outside of vehicles” (May 6, 2025 · 0:59:43).
3Private businesses should fill the gap
When the founder of KodaGo, a local ride-share app, asked council to partner with it:
“And as a small business owner myself, this is a prime example of private innovation—” “Is often far superior to public spent dollars.” “That's not to say that public transit isn't something in the future that the city won't look at…”
Councillor Damian Penner (identified with medium confidence, see About) · Aug 4, 2026 · 1:08:03
“That's what private enterprise does. Sees a need, builds a product for it, and puts it in there and takes care of it.”
Mayor Earl Funk · Aug 4, 2026 · 1:15:11
“So discuss it, 'cause we don't at this point do that.” … “And it's, that would go beyond a letter of support, right?”
Mayor Earl Funk, on a city partnership · Aug 4, 2026 · 1:13:57
In February 2024 Councillor Zwaagstra made a related point: “We don't want to set up a system that directly competes against taxis” (SteinbachOnline).
The app's founder described why he built it:
“Okay, can I get a bus to Steinbach? No bus to Steinbach. Okay, can I get— what about Uber? Yeah, well, you can get to Steinbach, but you can't get back.”
J.O., KodaGo founder, delegation to council · Aug 4, 2026 · 1:03:54
He asked for a partnership focused on medical appointments and airport trips. No letter or motion followed through Sept 15, 2026. Private options do exist: taxis, KodaGo, and Southeast Shuttle's service to Winnipeg hospitals and the airport. They don't serve people who can't afford door-to-door fares, and KodaGo's volunteer drivers aren't set up for wheelchairs.
4Council wants a viable, funded plan first
In February 2024, Councillor Susan Penner said what was missing was “the cost analysis, how this would be funded, what grants are available.” Councillor Damian Penner said exploring alternatives to a fixed bus loop was “something that we have an obligation to start looking at exploring” (SteinbachOnline). In July 2026, council told CBC it needs “a viable plan” before acting (CBC).
The coalition delivered a business plan in May 2025: four on-demand vans run by Pat Porter, about $957,000 to start and about $96,000 a year to operate. That operating figure looks far too low next to Winkler's $365,000 for one van, so the plan probably needs re-costing. The city has not commissioned its own costed plan. Peer cities usually start with one (Finding 3).
Part 2 · How Steinbach compares
Scorecard
How Steinbach's approach to transit compares with Manitoba and Canadian municipalities of similar size.
Strong ahead of or matching good practice On par typical practice Partial started, with gaps Gap common elsewhere, not done here
| Measure | Steinbach | What others do | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| Service for seniors and people with disabilities | ACCESSible Transit: 2 vans, weekdays 9–5, 5,477 rides (2023). City grant $105,000. | Morden and Dauphin run similar handi-vans. Steinbach's is busier and better funded than most. | On par |
| Transit for the general public | None. | Winkler (on-demand van), Selkirk (bus loop), Flin Flon (one bus), Brandon. Okotoks, Cochrane and Cobourg (Ont.) started with on-demand. | Gap |
| Feasibility study or transit plan | A 2006 study called Steinbach “well-positioned” for transit. Since then: one line in the 2025 plan, and a regional initiative that ended without a report. | Winkler, Portage la Prairie and Lloydminster commissioned studies. The RM of Piney got $50,000 for a southeast Manitoba regional transit study. | Gap |
| Applying for federal transit money | No application found. | Rural Transit Solutions Fund awards to Manitoba: Flin Flon, Dauphin, Teulon, the RM of Piney, Interlake municipalities and others. | Gap |
| Working with community proposals | Verbal support for the coalition's plan; invited a letter from KodaGo. No endorsement, seed money or staff help. | Winkler pitched its pilot as a “subsidized ride service” and backed it with an FCM grant and city money. | Partial |
| Lobbying the province | The mayor backs the Cities Caucus push to restore 50/50 provincial operating funding. | Winkler and the Manitoba municipalities association lobby for the same. | On par |
Key findings
1Cities Steinbach's size do run transit
| Municipality | Pop. | Model | Annual cost | Ridership |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winkler, MB | ~16,000 | On-demand, 1 van, app or phone, $5 fare (since Nov 2024; extended to 2028) | ~$365,000 | ~900 trips/month |
| Selkirk, MB | 10,504 | Bus loop run by a non-profit, $2 fare (since 2011) | n/a | 35,642 (2024) |
| Flin Flon, MB | 4,940 | One contracted bus; $1.78M federal grant (2025) | n/a | n/a |
| Okotoks, AB | 30,405 | On-demand from 2018–19; fixed route added 2025 when demand outgrew it | n/a | 76,937 (2023) |
| Cochrane, AB | 32,199 | On-demand from 2019; added routes in 2025 | $1.06M (2024) | ~78,000/yr |
| Cobourg, ON | 20,519 | On-demand contract (since 2021) | $678,462 (2025) | n/a |
| Innisfil, ON | 43,326 | City subsidizes Uber rides | ~$1.5M (2025) | 149,862 trips |
| Thompson, MB | 13,035 | Fixed route suspended in 2024 (low ridership, funding) | — | — |
| Steinbach, MB | ~20,000+ | ACCESSible Transit only | $105,000 city grant | 5,477 rides (2023) |
Winkler is the closest comparison: a fast-growing southern Manitoba city, slightly smaller than Steinbach, that started with one van after a feasibility study. Its gross cost works out to about $34 a trip and about $23 per resident a year. Steinbach's current transit spending is about $5 per resident.
2The “empty buses” objection fits fixed routes, not what's being proposed
Council's main worry is a bus driving a fixed loop with few riders (Reason 1). That is why most small cities start with on-demand service instead: vans run only when someone books a trip, through an app or by phone. Okotoks, Cochrane and Winkler started this way, and Okotoks and Cochrane added fixed routes only once ridership reached about 70,000–80,000 trips a year. The Canadian transit cancellations found were fixed routes or commuter buses. Thompson's town bus and Selkirk's Winnipeg commuter run both ended for lack of riders. One on-demand trial did end: Brandon's evening pilot (2021–22), where riders preferred the fixed routes.
3Funding rewards cities that start, which is why the first step matters
- Planning: the federal Rural Transit Solutions Fund has offered planning grants of up to $50,000 with no city match. Whether it is taking applications in October 2026 is unconfirmed.
- Vehicles and equipment: later federal capital intakes covered most of the cost, around 80%, of vehicles and software. Applicants needed either an existing service or a recent transit plan, so a planning grant opens this door.
- Ongoing federal money (the Canada Public Transit Fund's main stream) only goes to cities that already run transit. In Manitoba that means Winnipeg, Brandon and Selkirk.
- Day-to-day operating costs fall mostly on the city. Fares typically cover only 10–20% for small-city on-demand service. The province ended 50/50 operating support in 2017 and offers no program for new systems.
- Winkler's start-up was a Federation of Canadian Municipalities grant covering about 80% of a three-year pilot.
4A realistic price tag
Using peer costs, a one- or two-van on-demand pilot in Steinbach would likely cost about $0.4–0.8 million a year before fares. That would carry roughly 11,000–22,000 trips a year. After a $5 fare, the city's net cost would be about $0.3–0.7 million, about 0.7–1.6% of the 2026 budget or $15–32 per resident. Vans would cost about $150,000–200,000 each, largely fundable by federal capital grants. These are estimates from peer data, not a costed proposal.
What “doing all it can” would add
- Apply for a federal transit planning grant (up to $50,000, no match) for a costed plan. This could be done with the coalition, Pat Porter, and neighbouring municipalities like Hanover and Piney.
- Formally answer the proposals already on the table, the coalition's LinK plan and KodaGo's partnership request, with a council motion rather than verbal support.
- Run a two- to three-year on-demand pilot with one or two vans, modelled on Winkler's, and seek federal or FCM money for vehicles.
- Expand ACCESSible Transit with paid drivers and longer hours, so fewer requests are turned down.
- Keep lobbying the province for operating funding that also covers new transit systems, not only existing ones.
About this page
- Transcripts. Meeting quotes come from automatic transcripts of the official videos, so some words are misspelled in the source. The transcription often misspells the city's name; quotes show it correctly as Steinbach. Each quote links to its moment in the video.
- Speakers. Speakers were identified by hand from how they are addressed in each meeting, and quotes use only high-confidence identifications with one marked exception. On Aug 4, 2026, the “private innovation” remarks are confirmed as a Councillor Penner by the mayor's reply, and most likely Damian Penner. Council members and city staff are named; residents and delegation members are identified by initials.
- Unrecorded sessions. Council discussed transit with the South East Equity Coalition on Feb 13, 2024 and May 13, 2025, outside the recorded regular meetings. Quotes from those sessions come from SteinbachOnline and CBC, not video.
- Estimates. Cost and ridership estimates for Steinbach are illustrative, based on peer data. Peer figures come from municipal and news sources and some couldn't be fully confirmed: Winkler's cost and ridership are city figures reported by CBC, and Okotoks's operating cost wasn't found.
- Coverage. All 103 regular council meetings from January 2022 to September 15, 2026 were searched.
Sources
Council meetings (official YouTube recordings): Mar 18, 2025 · Apr 1, 2025 · Apr 15, 2025 · May 6, 2025 · Nov 18, 2025 · Apr 21, 2026 · Jul 21, 2026 · Aug 4, 2026
- City of Steinbach – ACCESSible Transit; 2026 Financial Plan presentation
- SteinbachOnline: Mayor says city doing due diligence (Jun 2023); Council speaks on public transit (Feb 2024); Coalition working to bring transit; LinK Transit business plan (May 2025); City gives verbal support (Jun 2025); Transit remains coalition priority (Feb 2026); KodaGo launches (Aug 2026); Census commuting data
- CBC – Steinbach coalition looks to Winkler's wisdom (Jul 23, 2026)
- Winkler transit pilot funding; Winkler feasibility study
- Selkirk Transit
- Okotoks fixed-route transition; Okotoks on-demand
- Cochrane on-demand transit report
- Lloydminster Public Transportation Master Plan 2024 (peer costs incl. Brandon, Innisfil)
- Innisfil transit changes (2026)
- Canada Public Transit Fund; CPTF Manitoba allocation
- Rural Transit Solutions Fund awards in Manitoba: 2024; 2025; 2026; planning stream terms
- Manitoba Mobility Disadvantaged Transportation Program guidelines
- Restore the 50-50 public transit funding agreement (resolution)