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(10-05-2018, 07:51 PM)danbrotherston Wrote: [ -> ]I got to see the new GRT farecard online site on my partners card.

I could write a book how terrible the UX is.

Why are these things so difficult for large organisations to do--these are not difficult concepts.

The people who pay for the service are not the people who use the service. Excellence with selling the service does not equate with excellence providing it. That's why Quest as well.
Does anyone know off hand how much revenue grt brings in from fairs each year?

A Toronto mayoral candidate suggested making transit free and it just got me thinking about Waterloo Region

https://www.thestar.com/opinion/star-col...-idea.html
New bus stop clearing contract

" one (1) winter season from November 15, 2018 to April 15, 2019 with the option to renew for four (4), one (1) year renewals"

"There has been an increasing need for bus stops to be cleared for accessibility
purposes. All Grand River Transit buses are equipped with a ramp allowing access for
people using mobility devices and for people with strollers or carts. As a result,
contractors have been maintaining priority bus stops throughout snow events and not
waiting until the end of the winter event. Often the contractor is required to go out
several times before final road clearing has stopped. Efforts are made to coordinate with
the roads being cleared however, this is not always possible.
With a monthly rate contract instead of an event fee contract, the Region is able to
establish the total cost of the winter season and can request maintenance, as required,
without incurring additional costs. Under the monthly fee agreement, the contractor will
be monitoring the conditions and communicating their action plan whether it be presalting,
sanding, pickling or full clearing. Staff will be monitoring performance of the
contractor rather than what type of maintenance is required and at what frequency."
(10-06-2018, 10:37 AM)Spokes Wrote: [ -> ]Does anyone know off hand how much revenue grt brings in from fairs each year?

A Toronto mayoral candidate suggested making transit free and it just got me thinking about Waterloo Region

https://www.thestar.com/opinion/star-col...-idea.html

For 2016 revenue from fares was $31.4 million.
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(10-06-2018, 03:11 AM)plam Wrote: [ -> ]
(10-05-2018, 07:51 PM)danbrotherston Wrote: [ -> ]I got to see the new GRT farecard online site on my partners card.

I could write a book how terrible the UX is.

Why are these things so difficult for large organisations to do--these are not difficult concepts.

The people who pay for the service are not the people who use the service. Excellence with selling the service does not equate with excellence providing it. That's why Quest as well.

Out of curiosity, do you mean UW’s Quest student information system?
Ji
(10-06-2018, 02:42 PM)ijmorlan Wrote: [ -> ]
(10-06-2018, 03:11 AM)plam Wrote: [ -> ]The people who pay for the service are not the people who use the service. Excellence with selling the service does not equate with excellence providing it. That's why Quest as well.

Out of curiosity, do you mean UW’s Quest student information system?

I do, yes. IT in general seems pretty good at falling for this trap, especially enterprise IT.
Microsoft is pretty good at certain things, but when they try to catch up to others, they generally fail. Eg: Slack is decent software for collaboration, but Microsoft Teams is their generally terrible attempt to do the same thing.

This is likely a case where they should have bought into software that is known to work rather than attempt to create their own.
The car is in the shop today and Cambridge Hyundai's shuttle can only take me home (Doon South) rather than all the way to work (Phillip/Albert area).  My experiences using the 200 iExpress from Hespeler/Pinebush to R&T Park have been hit and miss for travel times, so I thought that today I'd have the dealership drop me at home to try out the recently extended Rt 76 Bus Plus.

I often make fun of the 76 Bus Plus as a route that only runs "on Thursdays after tea" but I have to admit that it worked really well today.  It got me to Conestoga College quickly, and while the plan was to hop the Rt 16 to Forest Glen to pick up the 201 iExpress, to my surprise there was a Rt 116 Express available that got me to Forest Glenn in no time flat.  Total trip time, door to door from my house in the new construction boonies of Doon South to my office near Phillip and Albert was only 1 hour and 15 minutes versus a Google Transit predicted trip time of 1:37.  That's only 5-10 minutes more than me biking!  I can't wait to see what sort of travel times ION will bring to this trip (assuming there's a decent connection to it available).

Oh, and the 201 iExpress is way more express than the 200.  It was sad that there were only 2 additional riders on it with me, but perhaps that's because my trip was basically off-peak, having boarded for the 8:55 a.m. departure.
That trip will get even better after Ion launch, with the 201 being extended all the way to Conestoga.
(10-09-2018, 01:43 PM)KevinL Wrote: [ -> ]That trip will get even better after Ion launch, with the 201 being extended all the way to Conestoga.

It took me a minute to figure out what you meant, my first reaction was "but it already goes to Conestoga Mall" but then I realized you were referring to Conestoga College where it would save me a transfer to the 16/116.

Now will that be faster or slower than 76 -> 10 -> ION?  It's a race!  (And ION had better win, as I wants me to be regularly riding that train.)
You would also be able to do 76->201->Ion (transfer at Block Line)
(10-09-2018, 03:18 PM)neonjoe Wrote: [ -> ]You would also be able to do 76->201->Ion (transfer at Block Line)

True!
(10-09-2018, 03:18 PM)neonjoe Wrote: [ -> ]You would also be able to do 76->201->Ion (transfer at Block Line)

Oh cool.  That'll be awesome, and probably quicker than using the 10 between the college and Fairway Station.  Thanks!
I think my commute (if I did it by transit) will actually get longer with ion. Sad

It’s like this:
  • Local bus to Charles Terminal
  • iXpress from Charles to Pinebush
  • 67 Lovell into industrial park

...but with ion it will be:
  • Local bus to Charles Terminal
  • ion from Charles to Fairway
  • iXpress from Fairway to Pinebush
  • 67 Lovell into industrial park

...so I have another transfer in there - I don’t think there’s any way the LRT will be that much quicker that it will somehow erase the extra transfer time. Sad

(PS, this trip takes like almost an hour and a half, I tried to for a week and gave up)
(10-09-2018, 03:08 PM)KevinT Wrote: [ -> ]
(10-09-2018, 01:43 PM)KevinL Wrote: [ -> ]That trip will get even better after Ion launch, with the 201 being extended all the way to Conestoga.

It took me a minute to figure out what you meant, my first reaction was "but it already goes to Conestoga Mall" but then I realized you were referring to Conestoga College where it would save me a transfer to the 16/116.

Now will that be faster or slower than 76 -> 10 -> ION?  It's a race!  (And ION had better win, as I wants me to be regularly riding that train.)

New Phase 2 idea: extend to Conestoga College, instead of Cambridge. They probably want it more, and how cool to have an LRT from Conestoga Mall to Conestoga College!