The quarterly DARTS ridership statistics report was tabled during Tuesday’s Council Public Works Committee meeting.
During the discussion of the report, Ward 11 Clr Tadeson asked staff if the fact DARTS was not tied to the City’s IT network was “advantageous” to DARTS users because it continued to operate during the City’s cybersecurity failure.
“In light of the recent cyber attack, would you agree to this statement and maybe could you elaborate. Having DART operate outside the immediate scope of the City,” Tadeson’s question began.
“Was that advantageous for our seniors and people with disabilities that you serve?”
HSR Director Maureen Cosyn Heath refused to answer the question.
“Respectfully, councillor, I think that’s an open question, and I’m not going to be able to answer it.”
The obvious answer was yes.
DARTS not being part of the City of Hamilton network enabled the service to continue operating in February.
Had DARTS been part of the City of Hamilton network, its phones, reservation systems, scheduling, and dispatch systems would’ve been shut down.
City Council has maintained secrecy regarding the cybersecurity failure, claiming the City’s network is not yet secure.
Stating the network is not secure permits council to continue discussing the matter in closed session.
Production Details v. 1.0.0 Published: September 4, 2024 Last updated: September 4, 2024 Author: Joey Coleman Update Record v. 1.0.0 original version