Winnipeg Mayor Sam Katz says he's pleased his fellow mayors want Ottawa to play a larger role in urban transit development.

Canada is the only G8 country that does not have a national approach to transit, Katz said. As a result, the mayors of Canada's largest cities passed a unanimous motion Thursday, calling on the federal government to set up a national transit program.

Katz is attending meetings in Montreal this week with other mayors of Canada's large cities, a day before the official start of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities conference on Friday.

Katz said the resolution will be given to Prime Minister Stephen Harper Friday when Harper speaks to the federation.

Calling the resolution "a great step," Katz said, "I think everybody very much understands … transportation, as far as the impact it has on the environment and air quality, diminishing the quality of life, especially for those cities that have gridlock."

Meanwhile, a report issued by the City of Winnipeg Thursday indicates bus ridership is increasing.

Winnipeg Transit says weekday use of the bus increased by almost nine per cent in the first three months of 2006, compared with the same period in 2005 — one of the largest increases reported by any major Canadian city.

On average, approximately 162,000 people take the bus every weekday. And in total, Winnipeg Transit carried nearly 40 million passengers in 2005.