Contracting out Wheel-Trans call centre, cutting paper transit schedules has left TTC without back-up plan
MEDIA RELEASE November 1, 2021 (Toronto, ON) -- Wheel-Trans users are reporting being turned away from booking new trips and hours-long phone wait times to check the status of pre-booked trips or attempt to book new trips. Online Wheel-Trans bookings have been unavailable since Friday, October 29 after a cyberattack caused an online service outage. Wheel-Trans users are calling on the TTC to share a timeline for restoring Wheel-Trans bookings, add a clear update to its website, and staff up its call centre.
“Leaving Wheel-Trans users without access to service is unacceptable and unconscionable,” said Wheel-Trans user Adam Cohoon. "The TTC must share a timeline with us immediately and add staff to the call centre so we can access public transit. Most Wheel-Trans users have no alternate means of using public transit and many urgently need it for serious matters like going to work, school medical procedures, grocery trips."
“The TTC should have the in-house capacity to run a back-up system through its own WheelTrans call centre. This kind of emergency demonstrates the importance of publicly owned and operated transit services,” said Cohoon. In September 2020, the TTC Board voted to contract-out call centres service to Telus as the existing in-house call centre capacity shrinks due to attrition, despite a request from the Advisory Committee on Accessible Transit to consult with Wheel-Trans users. All TTC users have been affected by the lack of next bus information, but the TTC phased out paper schedules at stops in 2016 to cut costs. The lack of information makes it especially difficult for any Wheel-Trans users who may attempt to use the conventional service.
When Wheel-Trans users call the booking line, the following recorded message is played:
“Please be advised that our scheduling system is down, and we are unable to book any new trips at this time other than for life-sustaining or emergency medical purposes. We are experiencing higher than normal call volumes and we ask that you call us back at a later date if you are looking to book a trip other than for life-sustaining or emergency medical purposes. At this moment we do not have a timeline for resolution.”
Stories from Wheel-Trans users:
“My fiancee was not able to go to the eye doctor today because they couldn't give her a ride because it was a non-emergency even though she's having a little trouble seeing. I don’t know if I’ll make it to the dentist this week, which means I could end up waiting another 4-5 months for my appointment.”
“I'm starting to cancel all my med appointments this week, including ones the ER doc fast tracked (MRI & neurology). Pretty upset - mostly at the lack of communication.”
The outage means that Wheel-Trans users cannot check the status of their pre-booked trips and cannot book any new trips. However, some users with standing, regular appointments have been able to access those pre-scheduled trips.
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