St. Norbert councillor Janice Lukes holds up a ‘Peggo’ card during a media launch on Friday, June 10, 2016. (BRAEDEN JONES / METRO WINNIPEG FILE)
After a series of technical glitches overcharged Winnipeg Transit riders a combined $72,000 in Peggo card reloads, the Amalgamated Transit Union wants a complete review of the system.
One rider, Scott Hazlitt, set up his Peggo card to auto-reload at $50 whenever his balance was about to run out. Instead, the system kept charging his credit card repeatedly until it hit $8,050.
Hazlitt notified 311 and is in the process of having the city reverse the charges.
“When we invested in an obsolete system with the Peggo card, we ensured that the technology that we use would be prone to glitches of this nature,” said Aleem Chaudhary, president of the Amalgamated Transit Union 1505.
“From service levels that frankly aren’t acceptable for a growing city like Winnipeg to this latest snafu, it is evident that we need to invest in our transit system today for the Winnipeg of tomorrow.”
A system-wide operational review of Winnipeg Transit is already planned, but Chaudhary says the Peggo system must also be a part of that review process.
“Transit needs to be upfront regarding a number of growing issues within the system, especially if Winnipeg Transit riders are overpaying.”
