A downtown light-rail system is no longer part of the blueprint for overhauling Winnipeg's bus system. Instead, city hall's rapid transit task force wants to spend $40 million less and focus on creating two dedicated bus-only corridors, improving service on major routes, and building parking lots near major bus stops for commuters.The revamp comes after several open houses on the task force's first attempt to overhaul the bus system. But this second draft from the committee of experts and councillors is not the final plan — that will come out in the fall.

"There wasn't much excitement about the downtown LRT. It received mixed reviews," said task force chairman Coun. Russ Wyatt. "The folks who liked rail felt it wasn't rail, and at $70 million, the others thought it was more sexy than substance."

Building a dedicated bus-only corridor from Osborne Village to the University of Manitoba is now part of the first phase of the task force's $270-million plan. It will compliment a Nairn Avenue busway that would be built from Kildonan Place to Archibald Street in east Winnipeg in two phases.

The rest of the improvements in the plan remain, including "quality" routes along existing roadways, such as Main Street, Henderson Highway, Portage Avenue, and St. Mary's Road. Buses on these routes would use red diamond lanes and have the ability to override traffic signals. Transit fares would be collected at kiosks at the stations to speed loading and allow passengers to get on the buses at the front and back doors.

Ditching light rail seems to have widened a rift between Mayor Sam Katz and Wyatt.

The pair were already feuding over whether the city would pitch in more cash to build a recreation park in the councillor's Transcona ward.

During Wednesday's council meeting, Wyatt swapped his recent behind-the-scenes player persona for a role he's much more comfortable playing — a loud critic of the mayor and his supporters.

In a fiery speech, Wyatt told the council he had given up hope that the new mayor would lift the "veil of secrecy" at city hall that the Transcona councillors fought against under former mayor Glen Murray.

On Thursday, Katz pointed to the speech as a sign that Wyatt single-handedly altered the task force's plan as part of a "personal agenda." "It's been drastically changed from the one that was presented to the public a couple of weeks ago. It's rather bewildering."

Coun. Jenny Gerbasi, who sits on the transit committee, backed Wyatt's explanation that the changes were a reaction to the comments at open houses. She said the mayor was only undermining the task force's hard work.

"Russ Wyatt isn't a dictator," she said. "This was based on 100 per cent consensus of all the members."