turbanplanner
Senior Member
Has anyone noticed a huge increase in the emergency alarms pressed? I've had it happen on 5 out of the last 6 trips I took, some of them more than once on the ride!!
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- Thread starter drum118
- Start date
nfitz
Superstar
I've only noticed one.
But I've been on YRT a bit lately, and I hadn't realised that any agency was STILL using the identical strips to ask the bus to stop at the next stop!
Was it a lot of weekend and off-peak travel you've seen this, where riders might not be as familiar with the system as the regulars?
anb
Active Member
Brampton also has this primarily on their Zum buses so its a bit understandable to how one might be confused with what the yellow strip does as its so inconsistent.
turbanplanner
Senior Member
Two were today on the niagara train, it happened 3 times. I was in the coach that it happened in once and nobody admitted to pressing it, so maybe it's an error? But they were all in different coaches. I think some people hit it on purpose on one of the other trips because the service ambassador was chewing people out to only use it for emergencies, not pointing out it's not for a stop request.
Jonny5
Senior Member
From many years of experience on GO trains, I've seen these accidental alarm calls many times and it's a continuing phenomenon though most notably outside of rush hour, but I don't think there's any more than usual now.
The most common misuse I've seen is always passengers who wake up at the last moment and realise they are about to miss the doors closing at their stop and think that pressing the alarm will keep them open long enough to get out of the train, and this actually does work sometimes.
I've also seen this on the Niagara express trains where people press it to try and force the train to stop at a station that would normally be skipped, which of course doesn't work. Interestingly, I was once on one of those Niagara trains sitting in the CSA car which did made an unscheduled stop at Appleby, and it was because a group of clearly confused first time passengers very politely explained their situation to the CSA well before getting there who then asked control for permission to stop there, and it was granted with the train stopping only long enough for him to open the one door adjacent to him to let them out.
The most common misuse I've seen is always passengers who wake up at the last moment and realise they are about to miss the doors closing at their stop and think that pressing the alarm will keep them open long enough to get out of the train, and this actually does work sometimes.
I've also seen this on the Niagara express trains where people press it to try and force the train to stop at a station that would normally be skipped, which of course doesn't work. Interestingly, I was once on one of those Niagara trains sitting in the CSA car which did made an unscheduled stop at Appleby, and it was because a group of clearly confused first time passengers very politely explained their situation to the CSA well before getting there who then asked control for permission to stop there, and it was granted with the train stopping only long enough for him to open the one door adjacent to him to let them out.
micheal_can
Senior Member
I though there were signs posting a fine for misuse. Has it ever been enforced?
Jonny5
Senior Member
Maybe, but enforcement seems difficult. You need someone on board to identify the party and either arrest them or be a witness, and that person needs to be available to show up in court, probably many months later, or these days maybe more than a year later to testify when the person inevitably contests this by saying simply "it wasn't me". Also I think some would just pay the fine. It's GO and there's lots who could swallow the $1,000 fine, not happily, but they'll make it go away and pay out of embarrassment if actually caught.
micheal_can
Senior Member
Sounds like a discussion on speed limits and the enforcement of them.
If people heard that others were paying the fine for those incidents, it may lower their frequency.
turbanplanner
Senior Member
When it happened at exhibition I saw the special constables talking to the group outside who pressed it, then the CSA chewed eveyone out over the speaker.
Allandale25
Senior Member
turbanplanner
Senior Member
More fun! Do they normally cancel stops after the train is rolling? I was trying to get to exhibition…. Guess they didn’t want to pay the free fares if they got to union 15 mins late. So have to wait 50 mins in the parking lot
LNahid2000
Senior Member
Yes, a few weeks ago I was on a train that ran express from Appleby to Union because an emergency at Burlington had us stopped there for almost 30 minutes. They told everyone going to intermediate stops to get off at Appleby and we got to Union on time. The train became a Lakeshore East train so I guess they didn't want those people to wait.
Deadpool X
Senior Member
I usually take the 17:25 train and there are always seats available. Never saw anyone standing.
anb
Active Member
What do you guys think will be the future express service would be on the trains? Would it be like the Niagara weekend trains or would we continue to just run trains express from Union to a certain stop and then all stops after but its all day service.
Bordercollie
Senior Member
Have you guys heard of this thing called winter? Imagine what your bike would look like when you get to union? And yes bike couriers work in the winter.