Kitchener-Waterloo

GRT EasyGo app, phone service down for several more days

Grand River Transit's EasyGo service will be unreliable for at least a few more days after an attempt to update the scheduling software caused a system-wide malfunction. Here are some alternate ways to figure out when and where to catch your bus.
Grand River Transit's EasyGo service, including its app, automated phone service and real-time transit map will be out of service until at least the weekend after a software upgrade malfunction. (Jackie Sharkey/CBC)

Grand River Transit's EasyGo service will be unreliable for at least a few more days after an attempt to update the scheduling software caused a system-wide malfunction. 

According to the GRT website, it's affected all EasyGO tools including the online trip planner, Next Bus Text, Next Bus Call, the EasyGo app and the real-time transit map.

​John Cicuttin, manager of transit development, says he hopes to have everything fixed by this weekend but admits that's just a working goal at this point. 

Until then, here are the three best ways to get accurate information about when and where to catch your bus: 

  1. Pick up a paper copy of the route schedule, available in all terminals and on GRT buses.
  2. The route schedules are also available in PDF form online.
  3. Google Maps Transit is up to date with the GRT's spring schedule. It can be accessed on desktop or smartphone.

Cicuttin said staff was alerted to the problem after the spring schedule change on April 25.

"And that misaligned scheduled trips with the actual real-time arrivals of busses," said Cicuttin. "That caused a host of inaccurate data being provided."

The biggest errors are at mid-route terminals, like the Charles Street Terminal, the Cambridge Centre Terminal or Forest Glen Terminal.