Paratransit riders frustrated but not surprised LTC still has no timeline for online booking

People who use London's paratransit service continue to wait for an online booking system that was supposed to come online in June but now has no foreseeable rollout date. 

Users and disability advocates have been pushing for the London Transit Commission (LTC) to improve the paratransit booking system for years. In it's 5-year accessibility plan, released in 2020, the transit authority noted booking issues as a concern to be addressed.

Four years later, the only way to book a paratransit ride is by phone.

"This is something that's been in the works for too long, and there still hasn't been any progress toward an improved booking system," said Natalie Judges, a paratransit rider who uses a wheelchair and relies on the service almost daily.

In January, LTC general manager Kelly Paleczny said in an interview on London Morning that she anticipated online booking would be in place potentially by June.

Three months past that deadline, Paleczny said it's now unclear when it will be available, but assures riders that the online system is coming. 

"It's safe to say everybody's excited," Paleczny said. "We're getting this done as quickly as we can, but we also have to do it right to make sure that that we've got a smooth transition for everybody involved."

She said part of the hold up is that the company initially hired to build the system was sold. Then, when the Mississauga-based TripSpark was hired, it had other projects that prevented it from getting to work on the LTC system, Paleczny said. 

"So the process got underway in August," she explained. "The vendor has not given us an exact timeline of when they expect the new system to be fully functional."

In February, the LTC board approved $500,000 to pay for data transfers, training, maintenance and hosting costs for the booking software. 

For Judges, the delay means more days beginning with a phone call and an up to 45 minute wait on hold.

"Sometimes I wait and redial what feels like hundreds of times," she said. "You end up missing important medical appointments and being late for work."

Further delays to the implementation of the online booking process don't come as a surprise to Jeff Preston, an assistant professor of disability studies at Western University's King's College.

"This has turned into a bit of a moving goal post situation," Preston said. "Every month we're told it'll be the next month. I understand they say it'll take a while to roll out, but this is something we identified two years ago."

Preston is doubtful a system will be in place within the year, adding that there's been poor communication from the LTC.

He said he hopes an audit assessing the LTC that's currently underway at the request of city council will spur change.

"I'd like to know why it's taking this long, not just for the online booking, but also for things like smart card readers on [paratransit] buses, which was supposed to be done by January."

Preston acknowledged some progress has been made, including hiring more paratransit drivers for better coverage and quicker service. 

Shannon Riley, the executive lead of services at PHSS, a local non-profit that offers in-home support to people with disabilities, agrees additional drivers have made a difference but she too is frustrated by the delays for a service that's well established in other cities.

"It's definitely overdue. Other cities have it in place, so it's doable and I think it would help. Sometimes we sit on the phone for half an hour waiting to make a booking for a patient," Riley said. "It's something that could be done in two minutes if it could be done online."

Paleczny said Tuesday she expects a clear rollout timeline to be available in the coming month, or so.