[W. K. Lis]

On Saturday after the storm, I saw two buses in my own neighbourhood that had broken down and had snow piled around them. One was sidelined for over 24 hours.

I keep seeing the low-floor buses on the streets broken down, not a good sign for them. More moving parts that are subject to problems.

 

[gabe]

On Saturday after the storm, I saw two buses in my own neighbourhood that had broken down and had snow piled around them. One was sidelined for over 24 hours.

I keep seeing the low-floor buses on the streets broken down, not a good sign for them. More moving parts that are subject to problems.

I was on a couple buses last year that broke down. Both of them were those low-floor buses.

 

[nfitz]

I was on a couple buses last year that broke down. Both of them were those low-floor buses.

In some parts of the city, I haven't seen anything BUT low-floor buses for years. So all the buses I saw running during the storm were low-floor buses. I saw no high-floor buses operating during the storm. But I haven't for months ... so statements like that don't mean much. Personally the only time I've encountered them recently was on the 510 Spadina Bus!

If you look at the Service Summary, the TTC only has 237 buses that aren't high-floor. Over 87% of the fleet is low-floor - therefore one would expect 87% of the breakdowns to be low-floor buses.

Further, those high-floor buses are only found in 3 of the 7 garages.

And if you dig deeper, the non-low floor buses are only used on Dufferin, Finch East (39, 139, and 199), Keele North, Middlefield, Nugget, Scarborough Center Rocket, Steeles East, Weston Road North, and Wilson.

If you don't use these services, and they aren't in your neighbourhood, then everything you see broken down will be a low-floor bus!

 

[Juan_Lennon416]

Very few people stand on the top portion of the low-floor buses. It was quite annoying when the BD Subway Line ran shuttle buses last week

 

[Dan416]

In some parts of the city, I haven't seen anything BUT low-floor buses for years. So all the buses I saw running during the storm were low-floor buses. I saw no high-floor buses operating during the storm. But I haven't for months ... so statements like that don't mean much. Personally the only time I've encountered them recently was on the 510 Spadina Bus!

If you look at the Service Summary, the TTC only has 237 buses that aren't high-floor. Over 87% of the fleet is low-floor - therefore one would expect 87% of the breakdowns to be low-floor buses.

Further, those high-floor buses are only found in 3 of the 7 garages.

And if you dig deeper, the non-low floor buses are only used on Dufferin, Finch East (39, 139, and 199), Keele North, Middlefield, Nugget, Scarborough Center Rocket, Steeles East, Weston Road North, and Wilson.

If you don't use these services, and they aren't in your neighbourhood, then everything you see broken down will be a low-floor bus!

Thanks for the dose of common sense It helps put things in perspective

 

[PL1]

I used the online form on the TTC website to complain about bus service on the 25 Don Mills on Saturday, Feb 9. Basically I arrived at Pape at 4:20pm and just missed a bus. The next bus arrived at 4:45 and went out of service. I jumped in a cab as I had to be at my destination at 5pm. The first bus we passed was one of 4 in a convoy on Overlea at Millwood waiting to turn left. (This was the day after the snow storm, and the roads were essentially clear.)

Anyway, I filled out the form when I got home. Surprisingly, I got a phone call on Sunday afternoon from the TTC apologizing for the delay and promising to forward the complaint to the line manager (or whatever the position was called) in charge of the 25 route.

I was happy that I got a response, and hopefully it will lead to improvements in service. This is a definite improvement in customer service on the part of the TTC.

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

Sounds like MT can take a page off that - their customer service standard is getting increasingly ridiculous.

AoD

 

[taal]

I used the online form on the TTC website to complain about bus service on the 25 Don Mills on Saturday, Feb 9. Basically I arrived at Pape at 4:20pm and just missed a bus. The next bus arrived at 4:45 and went out of service. I jumped in a cab as I had to be at my destination at 5pm. The first bus we passed was one of 4 in a convoy on Overlea at Millwood waiting to turn left. (This was the day after the snow storm, and the roads were essentially clear.)

Anyway, I filled out the form when I got home. Surprisingly, I got a phone call on Sunday afternoon from the TTC apologizing for the delay and promising to forward the complaint to the line manager (or whatever the position was called) in charge of the 25 route.

I was happy that I got a response, and hopefully it will lead to improvements in service. This is a definite improvement in customer service on the part of the TTC.

meh I've complained about bunching so often (though not in the last year) ... not like its going to change anything ...

 

[Johnny Au]

Yesterday, there was a signal problem at Lawrence Station. I was at Eglinton Station. It was very crowded. Chris Upfold, Brad Ross, and Andy Byford were next to me. I got to meet them. I had to wait 30 minutes for the southbound train. In the meantime, I bought myself a Cinnabon to pass the time. The three helped keep the order on the platform.

 

[PinkLucy]

From Twitter:

The TTC will unveil its first Customer Charter, 3 pm todayat Bloor-Yonge Station.

 

[W. K. Lis]

If you have a smart phone then there is no need for a QR code. GPS is enough to figure out what stop you are at if your at a surface stop. If your at an underground/indoor station then the cell phones data connection isn't reliable enough for essential information.

Any random person could implement this type of stop information enhancement in an app today.


With next generation phones implementing both GPS and GLONASS support, getting an accurate position won't take any longer than taking a picture of the QR code.

You will be getting wireless service in the subway stations. See this link for the PDF.

At the October 24, 2012 meeting, it was presented that:

It is recommended that the Commission:

1. Authorize the award of a contract to Broadcast Australia Pty Ltd. (BA), for the Wireless Network in the Subway System project, for a fixed fee payable to the TTC in the amount of Twenty Five Million Dollars ($25,000,000.00) over a twenty (20) year term. In addition, BA will pay the TTC an additional $8,000.00 (plus applicable taxes) for design review cost, per TTC existing and planned sixty one (61) underground subway stations.

2. Create the position of “Project Manager – Wireless Communications†to manage and coordinate all design and installation activities associated with the project.

 

[rbt]

You will be getting wireless service in the subway stations. See this link for the PDF.

At the October 24, 2012 meeting, it was presented that:

Maybe.

The installer can back out at any time if they can't convince Bell/Rogers/Telus to sign on as partners and cover the cost.

 

[nfitz]

From Twitter:

The TTC will unveil its first Customer Charter, 3 pm todayat Bloor-Yonge Station.

Andy Byford had an editorial in today's Star (page A25) that previews this.

I'm amused by how he starts:

Twelve short months ago, I took over the helm of North America’s third largest transit agency in dramatic circumstances.
Gary Webster’s sudden, involuntary departure and my subsequent elevation to the position of acting chief general manager ...

Interesting to see that we are going to be seeing performance statistics for each route on their website.

All-in-all looks like TTC is heading in the right direction, and they are making a serious commitment to changing the organizational culture. Let's see what they can achieve in 5 years!

 

[PinkLucy]

From Blog TO, the report on today's announcements about the customer charter:
http://www.blogto.com/city/2013/02/will_the_ttcs_new_customer_charter_improve_service/

It appears that the TTC is actually trying to address some of its most major transgressions. The Commission released its first customer charter earlier today, and CEO Andy Byford says he'll be damned if he misses any of the targets.

"If I do, I'll have to stand in front of you guys and explain why."

Byford, TTC Chair Karen Stintz and Chief Customer Officer Chris Upfold announced the new charter together at Bloor-Yonge station. Byford was in charge of implementing charters in London and Sydney in the past, and he's confident this one will make a difference for passengers.

That just might be (and it's about time!). Despite the presence of a certain degree of corporate-speak, there are numerous specific targets made for 2013, including those related to capital projects and station maintenance. And, in an effort to be accountable, the charter will be rewritten each year to reflect new goals.

The document covers issues like modernization, accountability, cleanliness and responsiveness. Notably, it does not address safety in concrete terms, though it does promise that the TTC will "reinvigorate the security model." Stintz said rider feedback in their latest survey indicated that people already feel safe on the TTC, despite last night's stabbing at Davisville station.

And unlike some other charters of its kind, this one doesn't include refunds for delays. *Cough*

KEY HIGHLIGHTS

A new TTC system map by the fourth quarter of 2013
Bloor-Yonge and St. George subway stations will have WiFi and cellular capabilities by the fourth quarter as prototypes for a wider roll out of such technology
By year end, 21 additional next vehicle screens wil be installed (for a total of 43 in 22 stations)
1,000 customer satisfaction surveys to be conducted per quarter, along with "mystery shoppers" sent to monitor service standards
A daily score card has been posted to the TTC website to track service performance (including punctuality on subway and surface routes as well as elevator/escalator accessibility)
New uniforms (eventually)!
Five new Toronto Rocket subway trains are expected each quarter (there are 28 presently)
26 bendy buses are set to arrive in the fourth quater or by the first quarter of 2014
By the end of 2014, Lawrence West, Pape, Dufferin, and Coxwell stations will all receive accessibility improvements and, in some cases, major renovations
A third of the TTC's subway stations will have their terrazzo floors reconditioned throughout 2013
New/clean lights! By the end of 2013, subway stations should be much brighter thanks to a cleaning and replacement program.

Full Charter at http://www.scribd.com/doc/127831548/TTC-Customer-Charter-2013

 

[taal]

Steve Munro has called out TTC's performance metrics several times (for surface routes i.e. buses / streetcars), in short they're a pile of crap .....