Manitoba·NewThe City of Winnipeg says an overhaul of the booking system for Winnipeg Transit Plus has dramatically improved service for riders with disabilities, cutting wait times and virtually eliminating missed trips, according to a city report.City also considers taxi driver ‘protection fund’ to help drivers whose passengers refuse to payCameron MacLean · CBC News · Posted: Nov 27, 2025 7:07 PM EST | Last Updated: 25 minutes agoListen to this articleEstimated 4 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.Wait times for calls to Transit Plus fell from an average of 19 minutes under the old system to less than four minutes, a city report says. (Gary Solilak/CBC)The City of Winnipeg says an overhaul of the booking system for Winnipeg Transit Plus has dramatically improved service for riders with disabilities, cutting wait times and virtually eliminating missed trips.Riders who use Transit Plus — the city’s accessible transit service — have long complained about difficulty getting through on the phone and frequent instances where no ride was available at all. But a new annual review, set to be presented at the public works committee’s Dec. 3 meeting, says the new booking system, which uses artificial intelligence to schedule trips and optimize routes in real time, is already reshaping the service.According to the report, average wait times have plunged from 19 minutes before the upgrade to under four minutes today.Call lengths have also nearly been cut in half, dropping from almost nine minutes to around five, because staff no longer need to manually enter information. Between 2022 and the launch of the new booking system in 2024, more than 3,000 rides could not be accommodated. In the past year, that number has fallen to fewer than 40.Coun. Janice Lukes, chair of the public works committee, says the system allows Transit Plus to book trips more efficiently.”What the software allows us to do is take the calls … combine rides, pick up people from that area versus going all over. It’s really made a dramatic improvement,” she said.Riders can also now book through an app or online, taking pressure off phone lines.But advocates say the improvements don’t mean the system’s challenges are solved. A separate report from the Transit Plus Policy Advisory Committee — a volunteer committee that provides feedback on accessibility issues related to transit — discusses moving away from the system’s current diagnosis-based eligibility.It recommends a more expansive criteria to include people who can’t use conventional services consistently, and taking into account functional transit skills like the ability to reach stops, pay fares and ask for help.Allen Mankewich of the Manitoba League of Persons with Disabilities said riders still report concerns about issues like vehicle comfort and eligibility rules.”The devil is always in the details,” he said. “We’re always hearing from our members of ways the system can improve.”Lukes says she expects the criteria to become less restrictive, though the details have not been finalized.Taxi industry report proposes new fines The city’s annual vehicles for hire update, also heading to the public works committee, proposes new penalties for taxi drivers, including new fines for starting a taxi meter early, or for drivers who fail to report suspected human trafficking or sexual exploitation. The offences would carry fines of $250 and $500 respectively.The city is also proposing a $1,000 fine for failing to ensure a vehicle meets requirements while in operation.The city is also exploring a “taxi driver fare protection fund” to help drivers recover losses from passengers who refuse to pay.Fare evasion can escalate quickly into conflict, similar to disputes seen in transit fare enforcement, the report notes.The report says the number of ride-hailing vehicles available rose to 5,691 this year from 3,501 last year — a 63 per cent increase.WATCH | Transit Plus overhaul cuts wait times and missed trips, city says:Transit Plus overhaul cuts wait times and missed trips, city saysA new report says Winnipeg Transit Plus has dramatically improved service after launching an AI-powered booking system last year — slashing wait times and virtually eliminating unaccommodated trips. But disability advocates say there’s still work to do. ABOUT THE AUTHORCameron MacLean is a journalist for CBC Manitoba living in Winnipeg, where he was born and raised. He has more than a decade of experience reporting in the city and across Manitoba, covering a wide range of topics, including courts, politics, housing, arts, health and breaking news. Email story tips to cameron.maclean@cbc.ca.
New Winnipeg Transit Plus booking system leads to big service improvements: report
