Report recommends $3.5M to improve Transit Plus

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This article was published 30/12/2019 (1725 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The city’s administration is recommending more than $3.5-million worth of extra funding for Winnipeg’s Transit Plus service to address recommendations to improve the accessible service made by Manitoba’s Ombudsman earlier this year.

In a report by Winnipeg Transit, coming to the civic infrastructure renewal and public works committee next week, the city says it will cost $938,149 in 2020 alone to implement the recommendations, including hiring seven permanent staff and one temporary worker to do things such as answer email, respond to and investigate complaints, process no-show charges and record incidents.

The budget figure would also pay for the addition of a flat-rate contract for extra accessible vehicles so the service can transport more people than it can now.

If approved, in future years the figure would be $875,000 in 2021, $836,000 in 2022 and $853,000 in 2023.

Coun. Matt Allard (St. Boniface), the chairman of the committee, said in an emailed statement that he is in favour of referring the items to the budget process but he added “we are in a very challenging fiscal environment.

“The provincial cuts to transit funding have left a huge gap between available funds and demands for service. I am doing everything in my power to avoid cuts to transit service, to move forward the transit master plan, and overall protect and improve service in spite of these challenges.

“Adding a new cost in light of this situation presents more challenges, but it’s also an important part of our service that deserves attention and investment. I want us to do as much as we can with the resources we have.”

The Independent Living Resource Centre made a complaint to the ombudsman in Feb. 2016, saying drivers with the accessible service weren’t properly trained, vehicles were not safe, and the service wasn’t reliable.

The ombudsman issued a 152-page report in Jan. 2019, with 19 recommendations to improve the service which used to be called Handi-Transit.

Among the recommendations were: allowing more people to use the service, discontinuing the rule to only pick up people within 500 metres of a Winnipeg Transit service bus route and replacing it with either within 1,000 metres or within the city limits, responding to complaints and following up on them, and changing the policies that resulted in people being automatically charged for the service as a “no-show” even when the driver couldn’t see them, and not accepting rides considered unimportant.

The city accepted all of the recommendations. However, a status report coming to the civic committee next week says that though five of the recommendations have been completed, the rest are either still in process, partially completed, or part of long-term planning changes.

Meanwhile, a report to the committee shows there were almost 5,000 complaints about Transit Plus service in 2019.

Allard said complaints about services are “normal and common” but he would “obviously like to see that number go down.

“Anecdotally, I have met with numerous constituents of mine who use the service who have made it clear what their challenges are and I believe these numbers reflect that.”

The report shows the most frequent problem reported, at 823 compliants, is about schedule adherence by drivers. Disputing a no-show charge came second, with 544 complaints.

There were 24 complaints of passengers being injured while using the service.

As well, a report to the committee from Winnipeg Transit recommends that about 70 vehicles being used for Transit Plus be allowed to use diamond lanes on roads.

The report says that while city council allowed taxis to begin using the diamond lanes permanently in 2019, Transit Plus vehicles are not able to use them because they are not considered a vehicle for hire like a cab.

“Winnipeg Transit Plus vehicles are considered to be operating on behalf of Winnipeg Transit and should be allowed to use the reserved transit diamond lanes,” the report recommends.

“The disability community has long advocated for Winnipeg Transit Plus vehicles to use the diamond lanes.”

Allard said diamond lanes are “an important piece of our transportation picture, and I carefully weigh any proposal that affects them, but my first reaction is that this could be accommodated and has some benefits to Transit Plus and its users.

“I have confidence in the public service recommendation.”

kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca