City of Winnipeg moving closer to changing Transit Plus trip scheduling

The City of Winnipeg is moving toward a different way of scheduling trips on its Transit Plus service.

It is also under pressure to change how drivers with the servicefor Winnipeggers with disabilities, formerly known as Handi-Transit,are treated.

A report to the city's infrastructure and public works committee outlineshow Transit Plus canchange its ride-booking system froma priority system for scheduling rides to one that assigns them based on the order in whichrequests are received.

The trip priority system ranks trips based on their purpose so trips for work or medical appointments, for example, get higher priority than trips for recreational purposes.

A new system wouldassigns rides based on when they're received through an automated scheduling process.

• Transit Plus needs more staff, nearly $1M in new funding to meet recommendations: City of Winnipeg report
• Revise no-show policies, expand service, Manitoba Ombudsman advises Handi-Transit

Patrick Stewart with the Independent Living Resource Centre told councillorsat the committee's Wednesday meetingthatthe trip priority system pits the needs of one Transit Plus useragainst those of another.

"Worse, and most destructive, it creates the rationing of services," Stewart said.

Winnipeg is the only city in the country that uses this type of system, Stewart told councillors.

"Certainly the system doesn't work," he said. "Are we saying that we're the only city in the country that's providing para-transit services in the right way?"

The city faces little choice in making the changes. Itwasdirected to do so in a report on Transit Plus by the Manitoba Ombudsman, and is alsorequired to comply with the province'sAccessibility for Manitobans Act.

The legislation says that transit operatorscan'thave a policiesthat restrictor limitaccess to a transit service.

"The legislation is quite explicit. The prioritization service would be illegitimate," Stewart said.

Driver says certificate suspended for taking breaks

Harpreet Singh told councillors on the public works committee that hedrove for Transit Plus for four years, until this past March. He said hisdriving certificate was suspended by Transit Plus after he took a few breaks whenhe was tired, or needed to get something to eat or use the washroom.

Transit Plus drivers work for contractors to the city to provide the service.

Singh says he drove six days a week, often 12 hours a day. He rarely got a break,made near minimum wage and was never paid any overtime.

"Drivers don't want to come [forward] and say it because they [will] lose their jobs, like me,"Singh told reporters after he spoke to the committee. "All drivers are scared."

He says he is making ends meet these says by delivering food and occasionally driving a cab.

Singh's case is in arbitration and is being championed by the Amalgamated Transit UnionLocal 1505. The union represents approximately 20 Transit Plus drivers, and is trying to organize more.

ATUvice-president James Van Gerwencalls the city's Transit Plus system "murky," with contractors and subcontractors, and says it needs widespread change.

"Weare lowering our standards as a city. Compared to all other cities within Canada, as far as I know, this is a unique situation," Van Gerwen said.

He pointed to Brandon, where paratransit drivers are paid more than other city transit drivers.

"They know they are taking care of passengers that are in need of special situations," Van Gerwen said.

Winnipeg Transit officials said they could not speak about Singh's case because it was in arbitration.

"When something occurs and I'm speaking generallythere is consultation and discussion with the contractor," Transit director GregEwankiwsaid.

"[However], the permit is Transit's permit. Soif there's a decision to pull the permit, it's in conjunction, in the decision-making process, with the contractor. But ultimately, it is Transit that has the permit."

Ewankiw told councillorsthe city has an "expectation the contractor is following employment standards," but if city council directed breaks be provided to drivers, that would require study by the department, and would involvelegal issues and costs.

The public works committee ultimately decided not to direct Transit to mandate breaks for drivers, but said the service should consider what they'd heard as information.

City changing Transit Plus trip scheduling

4 years ago

Duration 1:53

The city of Winnipeg is moving toward changing how it books trips on Transit Plus. It's moving from a priority system to schedule rides to one that assigns them based on the order in which the requests are received.