Peggo cards give free Transit rides

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 03/12/2018 (2500 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A regular Transit rider says he and his family have been receiving free rides as a result of a Peggo glitch that he suspects is costing Winnipeg Transit tens of thousands of dollars annually.

The rider, who requested his name be withheld, said he and his two young sons have received a couple of hundred dollars of “free” credit on their Peggo cards annually since the digital fare system went into operation in September 2016. He wonders how many other riders have been receiving free rides.

“I’m an IT guy, so I gotta think the IT guys at Transit have got to know this is happening,” the rider said.

A civic spokeswoman said Winnipeg Transit has been aware of the free credits and is attempting to fix the glitch. So far, it hasn’t been able to do so, and isn’t too concerned about the free credits.

“We understand there are customers who may receive additional product as a result of this issue. However, in the interest of good customer service, Winnipeg Transit believes it’s more important to make corrections in a timely manner to ensure our passengers are able to use the product they’ve purchased as quickly as possible,” the spokeswoman said.

The rider said the glitch occurs three or four times a year when he reloads his family’s Peggo cards using his credit card account.

While his credit card account is debited for the Peggo transaction, it’s only recorded onto the card as “pending.”

Delays of up to 48 hours are common when loading Peggo cards, but he can get the transaction completed on his Peggo card by going in person to a downtown Transit kiosk.

In those situations, the rider said he waits about four or five days and then goes to the Transit kiosk in Winnipeg Square, where the Transit staff there verify the transaction was not completed and then credits his account.

However, the rider said several weeks or months later he’ll receive an email notification that Transit has completed the “pending” transaction and his account has been credited — again.

“So, I got a $50 or whatever credit when I went to the kiosk, and then later I got a second $50 credit for free,” he said. “Whenever I’m at the kiosk with this issue, there’s always someone else in line going through the same thing, so it’s got to be a big problem for Transit. It’s got to be pretty widespread and I can understand why people don’t tell Transit.”

The rider said that even though he receives a credit at the Transit kiosk, the “pending” flag on his Peggo account remains active.

“They probably have a (computer) program that goes through every account searching out ‘pending’ transactions and pays them out, but that ends up doubling the credit each time,” the rider said. “They don’t seem to have a way to link the credit given out at the kiosk with the ‘pending’ transaction still on the system.”

The rider said he manages the Peggo accounts of his two sons in addition to his own. The benefit to his family in the past two years has amounted to several hundred dollars worth of free rides.

“I read last week that Transit has a million-dollar surplus this year because of the fare increase, but I think the surplus would probably be even higher if they didn’t have this problem.”

Winnipeg Transit launched its $17.4-million SmartCard fare system, dubbed Peggo, in 2016 following years of delay, but continues to be dogged by problems. The initiative allows riders to pay for a ride simply by tapping a pre-purchased card on the fare box. Cards can be loaded with various fare amounts online or at specific retailers.

Recurring problems include failure of the fare boxes to correctly recognize the amount of fare on individual cards and delays in dollar amounts being registered on user cards. Last week, Transit said the technology used to load reader cards at retail outlets is outdated and needs to be replaced.

The Transit spokeswoman was not able to say how many Peggo card owners encounter the situation outlined by the rider, or how much fare credit the system has paid out in the two years it’s been in operation.

Peggo system problems dominated discussion at the Nov. 27 meeting of the finance committee. Chairman Coun. Scott Gillingham told the Free Press Friday the latest revelation caught him by surprise, but he was grateful to the anonymous reader for bringing the situation to light.

“The Peggo card system has been fraught with problems since its implementation. It’s a $17-million project that’s already two years past its completion date,” Gillingham said. “Transit needs to investigate and understand the scope of the problem and fix it as soon as possible.

“I’m thankful to the anonymous rider for bringing this issue forward and identifying it and sharing it with the Free Press,” he said, adding he would not support Transit going after the rider to recoup the unwarranted credits.

Gillingham said he hopes Transit can tell councillors about how much revenue it’s lost in free rides as a result of the glitch.

The situation prompted a chuckle from Joseph Kornelsen, president of Functional Transit Winnipeg, who said he was unaware of the unintended gift Transit is providing to some riders.

“The Peggo card has been a real headache for a lot of riders,” Kornelsen said. “I’m hoping Transit can figure things out.”

The rider said he does not regret going public if it helps Transit’s bottom line, but added he’ll keep taking the free rides until Transit figures out how to fix the problem.

aldo.santin@freepress.mb.ca