Waterloo Region Connected
Grand River Transit - Printable Version

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+--- Thread: Grand River Transit (/showthread.php?tid=13)



RE: Grand River Transit - KevinL - 01-27-2020

They also have concerns about how video footage is used. I'm fairly sure that is the main roadblock at this point.


RE: Grand River Transit - ac3r - 01-27-2020

Regarding how the video footage is used, it seems they are a bit ticked off that they can be disciplined if caught on video doing things they are not supposed to be doing - which I think is fair. Safety goes both ways. Video cameras are there to hopefully ID someone who may decide to grope a passenger or steal their laptop bag. But they are also there to watch the drivers, many whom love to stop off and have a smoke, love to text while behind the wheel, will run over curbs or traffic cones. If they're doing a job without any issues, what is the problem with having a camera that has the driver in its field of view? It will see nothing but them driving and greeting passengers. If it's a driver who loves to pull out their phone at red lights or stops to check their notifications, then yes, they should be disciplined for doing that, as it puts a bus load of passengers, other drivers and pedestrians at risk.


RE: Grand River Transit - ijmorlan - 01-27-2020

(01-27-2020, 03:14 PM)JoeKW Wrote: In Quebec hitting a pylon is treated very harshly as it could easily be a construction worker. My sister ended up with a giant fine for merely nudging a cone this summer.

Depends on the circumstances. It should be OK for a driver to notice that they’re about to hit a cone, and judge that just nudging it a bit as they squeeze by is harmless. I was talking to a driver once who said that if they so much as touched a sign with their mirror, they were supposed to do the full collision protocol. Completely absurd.

I do agree that it’s not OK for them to be unaware.

I’m not advocating sloppy driving, but in the real world, sometimes one needs to squeeze through a spot that is smaller than it ideally would be. Also, there are certain circumstances in which bus drivers really should be much more aggressive. In particular, re-joining traffic from a bus bay should pretty much be a matter of putting the signal on, waiting a moment, and driving. It’s not their problem if some idiot won’t yield. OK, not quite at that level, because it could endanger people on the bus (I don’t care about the idiots; they’ll kill themselves somewhere else before too long), but they really shouldn’t have to just meekly sit there until there is no traffic coming — they’re supposed to have the right-of-way.


RE: Grand River Transit - tomh009 - 01-27-2020

(01-27-2020, 03:24 PM)Bytor Wrote:
(01-27-2020, 03:07 PM)timc Wrote: I'm still confused. The union is looking for barriers, and GRT has agreed to install barriers. Is it that it's not happening fast enough?

Three years ago the Region agreed to barriers, did a small pilot project testing only 1 kind, and then dropped it.
How trusting would you be?

Either you trust a signed contract ... or else, why are you even bothering to negotiate one?


RE: Grand River Transit - bgb_ca - 01-28-2020

Another tentative deal reached. To be voted on Thursday.

https://kitchener.ctvnews.ca/mobile/region-grt-union-reach-tentative-deal-but-buses-will-stay-parked-until-it-s-ratified-1.4787621


RE: Grand River Transit - tomh009 - 01-28-2020

(01-27-2020, 03:24 PM)Bytor Wrote:
(01-27-2020, 03:07 PM)timc Wrote: I'm still confused. The union is looking for barriers, and GRT has agreed to install barriers. Is it that it's not happening fast enough?

Three years ago the Region agreed to barriers, did a small pilot project testing only 1 kind, and then dropped it.
How trusting would you be?

Somebody on Reddit claimed only one type, another Reddit user claimed four types were tested but the drivers didn't like any of them. Take your pick as to which anonymous user you would like to believe.


RE: Grand River Transit - Bob_McBob - 01-28-2020

The claim about multiple types was part of the agreement in 2017, and you can see it in a GRT news release from January 2018. The pilot was supposed to run for three months with three different types of barrier, followed by an evaluation. Did anyone ever see them on buses? I've only heard a single person who claims to have seen one back then so far.

https://www.grt.ca/Modules/News/index.aspx?newsId=15a54d16-8a0d-44f1-824e-ada99a9f603d


RE: Grand River Transit - trainspotter139 - 01-29-2020

(01-28-2020, 10:34 PM)Bob_McBob Wrote: The claim about multiple types was part of the agreement in 2017, and you can see it in a GRT news release from January 2018. The pilot was supposed to run for three months with three different types of barrier, followed by an evaluation. Did anyone ever see them on buses? I've only heard a single person who claims to have seen one back then so far.

https://www.grt.ca/Modules/News/index.aspx?newsId=15a54d16-8a0d-44f1-824e-ada99a9f603d

I've only seen 2 of the types they piloted but that could easily have been because of where I was travelling. The biggest problem is they were only piloted for 3 months then removed and as far as I could tell nothing came of the results of the pilot.


RE: Grand River Transit - bgb_ca - 01-29-2020

(01-28-2020, 10:34 PM)Bob_McBob Wrote: The claim about multiple types was part of the agreement in 2017, and you can see it in a GRT news release from January 2018. The pilot was supposed to run for three months with three different types of barrier, followed by an evaluation. Did anyone ever see them on buses? I've only heard a single person who claims to have seen one back then so far.

https://www.grt.ca/Modules/News/index.aspx?newsId=15a54d16-8a0d-44f1-824e-ada99a9f603d

I remember seeing at least one of the types, maybe two.


RE: Grand River Transit - Momo26 - 01-29-2020

I've heard from someone that even if the agreement is ratified tomorrow (I think vote takes place 30th right?), they need one full week to inspect every bus since they have all been sitting 9 days...meaning will only be operational by NEXT Friday/Sat at earliest.

If true, GRT needs to do the right thing even in the 'best case scenario' above and provide a 100% refund for monthly pass holders for January and provide a no-charge monthly pass for February.

Any one on here who has a January monthly pass, I encourage you write to GRT nicely asking for a full refund.


RE: Grand River Transit - KevinL - 01-29-2020

>they need one full week to inspect every bus

That sounds... excessive.


RE: Grand River Transit - tomh009 - 01-29-2020

(01-29-2020, 01:12 PM)KevinL Wrote: >they need one full week to inspect every bus

That sounds... excessive.

For a comparison, Boeing is estimated to need over a year to inspect all the undelivered 737 MAX once the FAA ungrounds the aircraft type.


RE: Grand River Transit - ijmorlan - 01-29-2020

(01-29-2020, 01:12 PM)KevinL Wrote: >they need one full week to inspect every bus

That sounds... excessive.

I thought I read somewhere that they have around 700 employees and 260 buses or similar numbers. So each bus needs 3 person-weeks of labour to inspect? Now I don’t actually know what exactly is involved in the inspection — maybe most of the work has to be done by mechanics, not drivers — but these buses haven’t been hauled out of a lake after sitting underwater for a month, they just haven’t been driven for a few days. This is way excessive.

Wait, how can this work at all? By the end of the week, the first-checked buses will have been sitting for almost as long as they already have, and will need to be inspected again!

Shouldn’t they have had supervisors take each bus for a 1-hour spin each day during the strike? Maybe maintain low frequency service on the iXPress spine? I know when Canada Post strikes supervisors take over and do what they can.

Also, does anybody know anything about what is different about the new agreement?


RE: Grand River Transit - robdrimmie - 01-29-2020

(01-29-2020, 01:51 PM)tomh009 Wrote:
(01-29-2020, 01:12 PM)KevinL Wrote: >they need one full week to inspect every bus

That sounds... excessive.

For a comparison, Boeing is estimated to need over a year to inspect all the undelivered 737 MAX once the FAA ungrounds the aircraft type.

How is that comparison relevant? 737 MAXes were built with deeply problematic flaws that cause crashes. The GRT fleet has been off the road for a bit over a week because they haven't been used.


RE: Grand River Transit - neonjoe - 01-29-2020

Maybe they could at least ramp up operations. Try to get iXpress routes running first and then other high priority routes so at least there is some connectivity.