Broken bus schedule phone line frustrates transit users

Thunder Bay’s transit users continue to have some trouble planning bus trips because the phone numbers that are to provide scheduled arrival times aren't working.

"It’s been fluctuating over the past year with ‘up time’ I would say being about 50 per cent," said Jon Hendel, marketing analyst with Thunder Bay Transit.

It’s Hendel’s voice you might hear on the line when the phone number fails to work properly.

"We are currently experiencing technical difficulties with your phone system’s schedule predictions."

He added that Thunder Bay Transit hopes to update the phone system but that probably won’t happen for at least another year or two.

For transit users like Melissa Haley that isn’t much of a help.

Haley, a drug store clerk, rides the bus daily and now relies on paper schedules, which she says are far less convenient.

"I've tried [the phone line] a few times, but it doesn't work so well," Haley said. "You never really get the times....you've just got to try harder, I guess, look different places to get the times."

In the meantime, Hendel says he hopes the current phone system will be running again in a few days.