Winnipeg bus riders will bask in roadside shelters radiating solar-powered heat while reading sun-powered signs if the city's transit service makes headway with a pair of experiments.

Already experimenting with solar-powered lighting at a University of Manitoba shelter, the bus utility has now moved to harness the sun's energy to illuminate a bus stop and route information sign downtown.

"Using solar energy to power lights has proven quite effective for us," Alex Regiec, Winnipeg Transit's operations planner, told The Sun yesterday.

The bus service is moving into higher-tech and this spring will investigate a radiant-heat system used at Seabus transit terminals in the Vancouver area.

A solar-powered lighting system — involving little more than a "kit" including a photo cell, energy collectors and two batteries — was installed last fall at a bus shelter at the intersection of Broadway and Donald Street for about $4,000.

Winnipeg Transit turned to the sun to generate lights at the stop when a convenient hydro hookup couldn't be found, and is eyeing an expansion to other downtown locations where underground electrical lines are not accessible.

"On a capital side, it saves money. On an operational side, we're collecting energy for free from the sun," Regiec said. "So we're not expending any dollars on power and we just have to maintain the system by making sure everything is functional."

At least one city councillor isn't sold on Transit's efforts.