Winnipeg committee OKs $100 fines for singing on buses

Singing an impromptu ditty on a Winnipeg bus could land you a $100 fine.

The city's executive policy committee approved a new transit bylaw on Wednesday that makes singing on a Winnipeg Transit bus a ticketable offence.

Therule came as part of alarger transit bylaw that makes it against the law not to pay your bus fare and establishes an array of inappropriate conduct for which someone can be kicked off a bus or fined.

The provision for the citys more musical guests, says without permission from Winnipeg Transit, no one can play a musical instrument, sing or offer a live musical performance on a city bus or face a fine of $100 plus court costs.

The rule is part of the inappropriate conduct portion of the bylaw, which also includes carrying a firearm, urinating or spraying graffiti on city buses.

The new bylaw also made provisions for banning people from the public transit system and limiting the time a person can wait in a bus shelter to 90 minutes.

The bylaw listed a number of fines associated with each infraction. Specific fines for minor offences would be $100 plus court costs.

Earlier this year, Winnipeg saw numerous musical performances on buses as part of JunoFest, and in 2007, the White Stripes make an unscheduled appearance on a city bus.

The duo sang to fans on the bus before getting off for an acoustic set on a city bridge.

Winnipeg Transit itself released an ad in the 1980sthat featured singing bus drivers. The ads encouraged ridership while a chorus of voices sang, "Why don't you take a busand leave the driving to us?"

The bylaw will now go for a final votebefore city council.

Read the full transit bylaw here

Winnipeg Transit's singing 1980s bus ad