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Trevor Hagan / Winnipeg Free Press James Beddome says drivers don�t pay road tolls, so bus riders shouldn�t pay fares.

Would thousands more Winnipeggers take the bus to work if it were free?

That's what the Green Party of Manitoba is betting on as it eyes no-fare transit service as a key election promise in the provincial election this fall.

Leader James Beddome said he supports the idea, which will be debated this weekend at a party meeting in Winnipeg.

Beddome said the free service would cost less than $75 million in the Manitoba cities with transit service. That's doable within the context of an $11-billion provincial budget, he said in an interview Wednesday.

"It's an investment in a public service. We don't charge people tolls when they drive down the roadways so why are we charging people tolls when they get on the bus?"

The Green party hopes to run candidates in all 57 provincial constituencies for the first time in the Oct. 4 election. So far, it has nominated or lined up potential candidates in roughly half those ridings.

Proponents of free transit say it would reduce traffic congestion, slash road costs and stimulate the economy by putting more cash in the pockets of seniors, students and workers.

They point to more than a score of European and American centres -- all much smaller than Winnipeg -- that have adopted free transit, including the Belgian city of Hasselt (population 72,000), where it's claimed transit ridership has soared 1,300 per cent since 1997.

It's unlikely Winnipeg would see such a huge increase in riders, according to Winnipeg Transit officials and even the Greens themselves.

Government would have to invest a lot of money to beef up the transit system's capacity to accommodate such huge gains in riders. And it's anybody's guess how many Winnipeggers would stop driving, even if the bus ride were free.

"I think you'd see some growth in ridership but it's difficult to say exactly how much," said Dave Wardrop, director of Winnipeg Transit. Those who would take the bus for environmental or economic reasons probably already do so, he added.

Winnipeg Transit is funded by passenger fares, advertising on buses and government grants. Last year, it took in $65.6 million in fares. The cash cost of an adult fare is $2.40, tickets cost $2.10 and a monthly pass is $75.35.

Former Winnipeg councillor Terry Wachniak will present the proposal Saturday to a Green party meeting at the Westminster Housing Co-op, and delegates will vote on Sunday on whether to adopt it.

Wachniak said the plan would be to improve transit service while making it free. He figures there would be a 20 to 30 per cent increase in Winnipeg ridership within a couple of years if his proposals were implemented.

"That would mean thousands and thousands less cars on the road," he said.

larry.kusch@freepress.mb.ca