WINNIPEG -- At a press conference Tuesday afternoon, Mayor Brian Bowman said adjustments to the transit schedule are “appropriate” and shouldn’t “surprise anybody.”

“I’ve certainly received many inquiries about how the transit service will continue,” said Bowman. “That is something we are obviously actively monitoring.”

So far, there have been no service reductions, despite a sharp decrease in ridership.

“The low number of riders is one of the main reasons transit is able to provide enough room on busses to accommodate proper social distancing,” said Jay Shaw, assistant chief emergency manager.

Both Shaw and Bowman stated the importance of Winnipeg Transit and how the launch of the new BLUE rapid transit line, while at an inopportune time, is a big deal for Winnipeg.

“Winnipeg Transit has been building towards this weekend’s launch for more than a year,” said Bowman. “It represents a massive shift in how our transit service is delivered.”

The launch of the new line correlates to transit’s spring schedule.

“Over the course of this week, transit will be actively watching and analyzing the new spring service schedule and will look at rider demand to determine what reduction could possibly occur in the near future.”

Bowman did not give a timeline on when reductions could occur.