Waterloo Region Connected

Could the number of bid takers be lower because of the fact that the contractors need to be unionized?

I just got an email from GRT for a workshop for some of the beta users of the EasyGo card for future functionality. Unfortunately I can't make it as it is during my work hours (apr 11 530-7)

I also got the email (and similarly cannot attend). It does sound promising - they're looking at loadable products beyond the parallels to existing media, so I presume this means things like dollar caps on usage (hopefully daily, weekly, and/or monthly), family passes, and other innovations.

(04-01-2019, 01:19 PM)neonjoe Wrote: [ -> ]Could the number of bid takers be lower because of the fact that the contractors need to be unionized?

Being unionized is not the issue. Almost all local contractors are unionized. It was that it was only "carpenters union" companies could bid on the work.

So for example a local contractor who is affiliated with that union would bid the work then subcontract all the work out to other companies for less money and take in huge profits. The main reason this was fought so hard in the Region was that the union was trying to expand it's reach to all forms of construction (road reconstruction).

We have an official layout/design for the Sunrise station: https://www.grt.ca/en/about-grt/sunrise-...ation.aspx

Route 8 via Courtland & Weber is being detoured to future Route 6 Bridge-Courtland routing effective April 8 due to construction and impending ION-related Service Changes.

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Unfortunate they don't have a stop at the Talize intersection, but I guess it's pretty tight to try and add something.

Looks like the highly misleading (probably outright lying) and obviously controversial ads will be removed from GRT buses.

I wonder why they were allowed in the first place. I feel like GRT should have some vetting process, and ads for such a controversial topic should be vetted aggressively.

https://www.kitchenertoday.com/local-new...es-1357879

Disappointing news for Canard - staff member at the ION event today said there will not be a special EasyGO farecard design for ION launch as it would be too costly.

You're going to break the guy's heart

(04-11-2019, 01:50 PM)jason897 Wrote: [ -> ]Disappointing news for Canard - staff member at the ION event today said there will not be a special EasyGO farecard design for ION launch as it would be too costly.

Seriously? I find that hard to believe. I mean, sure, there is some issue with the number of fare cards we're printing being kind of small, but it shouldn't cost that much to print another kind of card.

(04-14-2019, 01:37 PM)plam Wrote: [ -> ]

(04-11-2019, 01:50 PM)jason897 Wrote: [ -> ]Disappointing news for Canard - staff member at the ION event today said there will not be a special EasyGO farecard design for ION launch as it would be too costly.

Seriously? I find that hard to believe. I mean, sure, there is some issue with the number of fare cards we're printing being kind of small, but it shouldn't cost that much to print another kind of card.

Two costly != expensive.

The point is, GRT, rightly or wrongly, feels that whatever small cost it would take to print (and design, as that would be the primary cost) a different fare card, is not worth the value.

Of course, given the site, the branding, and the current card, GRT obviously feels there is little to no value in good design to begin with.

(04-14-2019, 02:26 PM)danbrotherston Wrote: [ -> ]

(04-14-2019, 01:37 PM)plam Wrote: [ -> ]Seriously? I find that hard to believe. I mean, sure, there is some issue with the number of fare cards we're printing being kind of small, but it shouldn't cost that much to print another kind of card.

Two costly != expensive.

The point is, GRT, rightly or wrongly, feels that whatever small cost it would take to print (and design, as that would be the primary cost) a different fare card, is not worth the value.

Of course, given the site, the branding, and the current card, GRT obviously feels there is little to no value in good design to begin with.

With these types of cards you have to buy them in very, very large bulk quantities for them to be as inexpensive as possible.

(04-14-2019, 03:19 PM)trainspotter139 Wrote: [ -> ]With these types of cards you have to buy them in very, very large bulk quantities for them to be as inexpensive as possible.

Transit agencies tend to do so, but even in moderate quantities they're not very expensive. 1000 of them would be enough to have a unit cost of less than a dollar (and probably closer to $0.20). A $1 fee for the commemorative cards would easily cover that. I think Dan is right that it's mostly about the cost of design, and GRT not valuing good design.