Software glitch stalls Handi-Van
Service expected to be running on time today, officials say
The city’s Handi-Van service, which sends accessible vans to pick up citizens at their doors, ran late all day Tuesday after a problem occurred with the computers that book rides.
But Martin Ward, the city’s manager of transit operations, said Tuesday the problem should have been resolved by Tuesday night and that rides ought to be running on time Wednesday.
The computer software the city uses to book rides in advance crashed in the wee hours Tuesday, he said.
When workers tried to log in at
6:30 a.m., Ward said, the screens showing where the vans were destined for pickup were blank.
“Which means we don’t know where you are or where you’re going today,” he said.
To deal with it, Ward said HandiVans were stationed across the city; when riders phoned to ask why their ride was late, an operator took their address and dispatched the closest van immediately.
It meant the vans were tardy,
Ward said, but they still operated all day.
In the meantime, a technician was called in from Toronto and was expected in Peterborough in the afternoon to fix the problem.
Ward said his drivers are exceptionally compassionate people who went out of their way on Tuesday to try to accommodate riders.
“The drivers really care – I’m impressed by that,” Ward said.
Meanwhile he added that the new community bus service got extra riders on Tuesday because the Handi-Vans weren’t on time.
The community bus was launched on March 4. It’s designed for riders who find it difficult to use conventional transit but who don’t necessarily need the door-to-door service offered by Handi-Van.
The new bus has no stairs, seats up to 15 passengers and has two spots for wheelchairs.
It leaves the apartments on Hedonics Rd. every hour on the hour, and follows an hour-long route that takes passengers to locations such as George St. downtown, Walmart, Sobeys, the hospital and back again.
Ward said ridership has exceeded his expectations so far, with 106 passengers in the first week.
NOTE: For more information about the service, the route and the schedules, visit www.peterborough.ca/Transit