How the mass Rogers outage is affecting service in Hamilton

A mass Rogers outage has been affecting users across Canada Friday, impacting phone, internet and Interac services.

The company didn’t acknowledge the issue until just before 9 a.m. ET, leaving users in the dark for hours about when they might be able to use their devices again.

The outage affected services throughout the country, including cellphone access, 911 call centres, financial transactions and more.

Reports of the outage have piled up on an outage tracker webpage — with complaints coming from coast to coast.

Over 15,000 Rogers users in Toronto have submitted a complaint, as well as thousands in Montréal, Brampton, and Ottawa. Hundreds of users everywhere from Halifax, N.S. and Victoria B.C. have also reported issues.

The outage is also reportedly impacting ATMs and interac machines across the country, according to reports on social media.

READ MORE: Rogers users report mass outage impacting phones, internet, Interac

In a statement sent to Global News, a spokesperson for Rogers Communications the outage is affecting both the “wireline and wireless networks.”

In Hamilton, internet subscribers using Fido and TekSavvy services were also affected by the disruption.

The city says a number of municipal services have been affected including the HSR, DARTS, and its service centre credit and debit machines.

Below is a list of known issues in the city connected with the outage.

Most Interac Services used for in-person and automated payments have been affected including:

• On-street and Municipal Car Park Parking (impacts to paid parking via Passport App)
• @hsr Ticket Office (located in the Go Centre) at 36 Hunter St.
• Community Recycling Centres – Licensing Counter at City Hall
• Municipal Service Centres
• Recreation and Seniors Centres
• Provincial Offences Administration

The city says alternative forms of payment such as credit card, cheque and cash are still being accepted.

2:50 Rogers network down across much of Toronto and parts of Canada

DARTS has been experiencing major schedule disruptions and there have been impacts to trip booking and delivery.

The city has asked residents needing questions answered about access to the service to reach out to Accessible Transportation Services at 905-529-1212.

GO Transit said some parts of their system were being affected by the outage.

The transit agency said fares cannot be purchased using debit or credit cards. E-tickets may also be unavailable.

“However, our contact centre and transit safety dispatch lines are fully functional to take customer calls,” GO said.

Both of Hamilton’s hospitals have been generally unaffected by the service disruption.

In a social media post, Hamilton Health Sciences revealed they are using Bell services and that anyone with a scheduled appointment should still plan on attending.

Hamilton Police and Niagara Regional Police are advising Rogers customers that the disruption may slow connections for those needing 911.

They are advising callers to stay on the line through any delays.

With files from Rachel Gilmore