Transit Plus customer says new software causing ‘misery’

Sohail Anjum has relied on transit plus for almost 25 years and he’s been left frustrated day-after-day with the city’s trip booking system, called “On Request,” claiming since the introduction of the new software back in 2024 it’s become nearly impossible to make it to work on time.

 “It’s the livelihood of disabled people, you know?” he asked in an interview with CityNews.

“You cannot imagine how the day goes in misery,” he said. “They say: ‘Oh, it’s first come, first serve.’ O.K., I book at 12-midnight seven days before and I get a drop off time at 6:45 a.m., but the day earlier at night, it changes to 7:28 a.m.”

Anjum said he’s been told drivers have a tablet they have to follow regarding who gets dropped off first, saying he’s spoken to other users who have had similar issues getting to work on time, or making it to doctors appointments.

“When I tell them my story, they tell me: ‘that you are not alone’,” he said.  “I’m just always in limbo whether tomorrow I will be at work on time or not, and it’s getting to my brain or mental anxiety.”

In a statement, the City of Winnipeg says “while they always try to honour their customer’s trip requests to get them to their destination on time, as a public transportation provider they can not offer guarantees for trip times.” 

The statement noted: “Transit Plus operations has communicated with the customer since the launch of the new system to explain the changes and work with them to adjust the parameters of their trip requests to help get them to their destination as close to their preferred time as possible.”

With tears in his eyes, Anjum explained how he works in healthcare, and while his workplace has been understanding, he’s concerned about his future if he’s forced to continue showing up late to see patients.

The City of Winnipeg says it Introduced this software to improve Transit-Plus services and claims the on-time performance remains at 95 per cent or higher, but Anjum says his scheduled pick-up and drop-off times are constantly changing. 

“I’ve been in conversation with them for the past four months or maybe six months and every time they give me a different answer,” he said.