WINNIPEG -- Low income bus passes will be available as of May 2020.

A new report at Winnipeg City Hall says people can apply for the pass as of April 1.

It will be available for adults aged 18 to 64 who are:

part of a household with an income below the Stats Canada low income cut off;

approved for the province’s EIA program; or

newcomers who have been in the country less than a year who haven’t filed a tax return.

City council must sign off on the criteria.

The discounted monthly rate will start at about $70 in 2020, then go to $60 in 2021 and $50 when fully implemented in 2022.

The report estimates 29,500 passes will be sold in 2020, with that number rising to 78,000 by 2023.

It also says the reduced rate could cost the city around $3 million a year by 2023/2024.