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They're slowly starting to officially activate fare machines. Conestoga, Allen, and Kitchener Market are now up and running (but no cash, debit/credit only).

Also, EasyGo cards will soon cost $5 each, the free-card-with-first-load policy was just a promo.
GRT is offering 3 "Golden Tickets" - you and a plus one could be on the first ride.

https://www.grt.ca/en/about-grt/ion-gold...ntest.aspx
If we look at the June 18, 2018 report on the subject (starts page 32, but the "good stuff" is in the tables on page 37) the parking rate increases are split into hourly and monthly.

The hourly parking rates increased $0.25 to $3.00 ($3.50 for the parkade) in 2019 and will increase another $0.25 in 2022, 2025, and 2028.

The monthly parking permit rate increased 2.5% in 2019 (from, for example, $113.14 in 2018 to $115.97 for Waterloo Town Square South Lot) and is scheduled to increase 2.5% for 2020 and 3% every year thereafter.

I'd like to perform some sort of similarity comparison with GRT fares but I don't have the data. Even this venerable tritag report doesn't publish its data or list its sources. Suffice to say GRT fares increase in price irregularly and unevenly over the cash fare/strip of tickets/monthly pass spectrum of fare products. With the GRT easyGO Fare Card this may change so that all fare products on a card are adjusted by percentage on a regular schedule whereas the cash fare price still aims for $0.25 increments every 3 years or so.

In summary: Parking fees are indeed going up and it seems like council's trying to keep that increase around ~3% per year. GRT fees are also going up, but without a similar forecast of recommended prices or the time to pull historical data it's difficult for me to say whether it's by a similar or different amount.
Thanks for posting that Chutten.
(05-28-2019, 02:45 PM)robdrimmie Wrote: [ -> ]GRT is offering 3 "Golden Tickets" - you and a plus one could be on the first ride.

https://www.grt.ca/en/about-grt/ion-gold...ntest.aspx

I won a trip on the first ride... wonder if I'll get a $500 card too.

Coke
(05-29-2019, 08:49 AM)Coke6pk Wrote: [ -> ]
(05-28-2019, 02:45 PM)robdrimmie Wrote: [ -> ]GRT is offering 3 "Golden Tickets" - you and a plus one could be on the first ride.

https://www.grt.ca/en/about-grt/ion-gold...ntest.aspx

I won a trip on the first ride... wonder if I'll get a $500 card too.

Coke

I'm confused, it says the draw will take place June 12th.  Winners *will* receive 500 dollars. Did you win a ride on the first train somewhere else?
(05-29-2019, 09:10 AM)danbrotherston Wrote: [ -> ]
(05-29-2019, 08:49 AM)Coke6pk Wrote: [ -> ]I won a trip on the first ride... wonder if I'll get a $500 card too.

Coke

I'm confused, it says the draw will take place June 12th.  Winners *will* receive 500 dollars. Did you win a ride on the first train somewhere else?

There was a first ride contest a couple years ago. Though I wonder with the change over in communications staff on the project if those working there even remember the previous contest.
The full schedules of each route are now available on GRT's web site.

It occurred to me as my bus was sitting and waiting to get back on schedule the other day that there could maybe be the possibility that with this wholesale change in routes GRT would be a bit more aggressive and use less padding in the schedules. That doesn't seem to be the case, at least with the few routes I'm familiar with.

In any case, you can now look up trip times without using the new planner.
(05-30-2019, 08:50 AM)MidTowner Wrote: [ -> ]The full schedules of each route are now available on GRT's web site.

It occurred to me as my bus was sitting and waiting to get back on schedule the other day that there could maybe be the possibility that with this wholesale change in routes GRT would be a bit more aggressive and use less padding in the schedules. That doesn't seem to be the case, at least with the few routes I'm familiar with.

In any case, you can now look up trip times without using the new planner.

That would conflict with the KPI of "ontime performance".
(05-30-2019, 08:50 AM)MidTowner Wrote: [ -> ]The full schedules of each route are now available on GRT's web site.

Can you point out where these are? Can't seem to locate the right page.

EDIT: I did manage to find that each Ion stop has a localized map of connecting buses and where to board them: https://www.grt.ca/en/about-grt/connect-...r-bus.aspx

As I noticed before, as the UW plaza is unfinished the 201 and 31 require a walking transfer to Columbia.

Also, the northbound 201 at Block Line is interesting.
(05-30-2019, 10:09 AM)KevinL Wrote: [ -> ]
(05-30-2019, 08:50 AM)MidTowner Wrote: [ -> ]The full schedules of each route are now available on GRT's web site.

Can you point out where these are? Can't seem to locate the right page.

Here they are.
(05-30-2019, 10:39 AM)MidTowner Wrote: [ -> ]
(05-30-2019, 10:09 AM)KevinL Wrote: [ -> ]Can you point out where these are? Can't seem to locate the right page.

Here they are.

That looks like the old schedules not the new ones unless I am missing something.
(05-30-2019, 10:54 AM)bgb_ca Wrote: [ -> ]
(05-30-2019, 10:39 AM)MidTowner Wrote: [ -> ]Here they are.

That looks like the old schedules not the new ones unless I am missing something.

Until pretty recently, you could only select dates until mid-June. You can now select June 24, and they are indeed the new routings. Route names change on the drop down list where applicable, starting on that date.
PDF versions are still old.
Yes, they don't have the new PDF versions on there yet. Only in the 'Find a Schedule' look-up.