The long delay in getting Winnipeg Transit's smart-card fare system operational is frustrating the chair of the city's finance committee.

"Are we dragging something out that won't be delivered?" Marty Morantz asked members of the city's administration at a finance committee meeting on Thursday.

Councillor Morantz- "alarm bells are going off in my head around this one." <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/cbcmb?src=hash">#cbcmb</a> —@SKKav

Bus riders were originally promised the $17-million system — which allows them to tap a pre-loaded card on a reader to pay their fare — would roll out sometime in 2013 or 2014. The system is already in place in many cities, including Toronto, Ottawa, Vancouver and Minneapolis.

Winnipeg Transit gave it a test run in June, with 100,000 transactions on more than 340 buses, but a number of problems were identified. Those bugs are being worked out, Winnipeg Transit director Dave Wardrop said.

The system is still on budget and there is a "high level" of confidence the system will work, he said.

A second round of testing starts on some buses today.

Transit's Wardrop admits there have been problems but promises won't implement system until bugs are fixed. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/cbcmb?src=hash">#cbcmb</a> —@SKKav