In honour of Pride Month, the transit authorities of Winnipeg, Man., and Waterloo, Ont., debuted special buses wrapped in pride colours this June.  

Winnipeg

As a way to showcase support for the 2SLGBTQQIA+ communities, Winnipeg Transit rolled out a bus, wrapped in progressive pride colours, at the Pride Parade on Sunday, June 1.

The Transit’s graphic design team designed the bus wrap in collaboration with the Pride City of Winnipeg Professional Equity Network. “The rainbow burst represents the strength and resilience of Winnipeg in its struggles for true liberation,” said Nik Thavisone, one of Winnipeg Transit’s graphic designers.

Meanwhile, the friendly, vibrant, and diverse cartoon characters spread joy and positivity. The design also features a curved silhouette of the Winnipeg skyline, representing the city as part of the larger world. “This bus is a symbol of our dedication to ensuring an inclusive and equitable city for everyone,” said Bradley West, the City’s equity office manager.

The bus will remain in regular service until next May.

Waterloo

In the Waterloo region, this new Pride bus travels on various routes. Local artist Sebastian Bailey designed the wrap for the bus and features illustrations of different characters on a background of overlapping rainbow roads.

“The illustrations for this design are inspired by all of the things that are important to me and the 2SLGBTQIA+ community,” Bailey said. “Love, diversity, expression, community, culture, and family are all things I believe represent us as a community and Pride month as a whole. The overlapping rainbows in the background of the design represent how our community is intertwined in our locale.”

“At the Region of Waterloo, we are proud to unveil this year’s Pride Bus, a vibrant symbol of love and diversity,” said Karen Redman, chair of the Region of Waterloo. “This initiative embodies our dedication to building a community where everyone feels they belong. Let’s continue to embrace and uplift each other as we celebrate Pride, unity, and acceptance.”