Grand River Transit

[danbrotherston]

My theory: staff are putting ION ads as an
Option so the compromise can be increased bus ads.

[ZEBuilder]

GRT posted on their Instagram with news about ridership/boardings in the last month. In September there was 3.8 million boardings and 2.9 million trips both are records. These values surpass the previous records by roughly 0.8 million and 0.7 million respectively (based on the data that GRT has posted on their website).

They also state that there planning on adding 50000 new hours of service in 2024 and more information will be shared in the coming weeks.

[SF22]

GRT posted on their Instagram with news about ridership/boardings in the last month. In September there was 3.8 million boardings and 2.9 million trips both are records. These values surpass the previous records by roughly 0.8 million and 0.7 million respectively (based on the data that GRT has posted on their website).

They also state that there planning on adding 50000 new hours of service in 2024 and more information will be shared in the coming weeks.

Okay, math is not my strong suit, but follow along with me and let me know if my calculations are right:

50,000 hours / 365 days = 137 additional hours per day (averaged, not accounting for differences between weekdays and weekends)
137 daily hours / 18 operational hours (ie: 6am to midnight) = 7.6 new buses on the road per day

Does that track? Obviously these hours could appear in a number of ways, like increased frequency around rush hour, more buses during the weekdays vs weekends, but I know the 2041 long-term GRT plan intends for route frequency per hour to slowly increase between 2021 and 2041, regardless of time of day. For example, a low-frequency route that currently sees 2 buses per hour (once every 30 minutes) is supposed to step up to 2.4 buses an hour (once every 25 min) by 2026, 3 buses per hour (every 20 minutes) by 2031, 4 buses per hour (every 15 min) by 2036 and then finally 5 buses per hour, once every 12 minutes, by 2041.

[jwilliamson]

I just tried to use a GRT day pass, and the system seems designed to be impossible to use. They are not sold online through the website; you need to buy them in person. A single EasyGO card can only hold a single day pass at a time, so you need to travel to a place they are sold each time you want to use one. They appear to be sold through the Ion vending machines, but the flow doesn't actually work, so you need to travel to either downtown Kitchener or Ainslie terminal. You can't have one loaded on your card and wait to use it until you actually are going to make a bunch of trips, it activates the first time you tap the card so you need to have a separate card just for the day pass.

The paper passes worked so much better.

[ac3r]

I'd bet they don't even sell 50 day passes a day in this region, so unfortunately they likely aren't set up to be used easily (or in a sensible way).

[plam]

I just tried to use a GRT day pass, and the system seems designed to be impossible to use. They are not sold online through the website; you need to buy them in person. A single EasyGO card can only hold a single day pass at a time, so you need to travel to a place they are sold each time you want to use one. They appear to be sold through the Ion vending machines, but the flow doesn't actually work, so you need to travel to either downtown Kitchener or Ainslie terminal. You can't have one loaded on your card and wait to use it until you actually are going to make a bunch of trips, it activates the first time you tap the card so you need to have a separate card just for the day pass.

The paper passes worked so much better.

In other news, I was taking the bus in Winnipeg and it was pretty annoying to have to find $3.15 cash (or, really, $3.25) because I didn't have either tickets or their own fare card. Vancouver is much easier with open payments, and Presto does work most places in Ontario (we've been through that before). I guess Waterloo is slightly easier than Winnipeg because it has LRT and vending machines which work unless you try to buy a day pass.

[Chris]

If the Greater Golden Horseshoe could have an amazing payment system like Clipper in the Bay area, that would be great. Let me load a Presto card in my wallet and ride all over the place from Waterloo to Niagara.
NYC with the direct debit/credit payment is also very convenient for moving around without have to find special cards, load cards, or carry cash.

[KevinL]

It really would be better to implement the day pass as a daily cap on purchased fares - once you've taken enough rides in a day to cover the cost of a pass, the rest of your day is free.

This could be extended to weekly or monthly passes as well.

I understand this is common practice on other fare systems, it shouldn't be too hard to implement. Whether the powers that be would be willing, is another matter.

[tomh009]

NYC with the direct debit/credit payment is also very convenient for moving around without have to find special cards, load cards, or carry cash.

NYC--but which NYC system? I rode on PATH last night, and I had to buy a paper ticket from a machine. And then there was the annoyance of getting the machine to accept a Canadian credit card ...

[danbrotherston]

NYC with the direct debit/credit payment is also very convenient for moving around without have to find special cards, load cards, or carry cash.

NYC--but which NYC system? I rode on PATH last night, and I had to buy a paper ticket from a machine. And then there was the annoyance of getting the machine to accept a Canadian credit card ...

Haha, I remember taking the PATH train from Harrison when I was visiting NYC.

I found it amazing that a system with brand new trains still felt authentically 1990s, the paper tickets really completed the feel.

[Chris]

NYC with the direct debit/credit payment is also very convenient for moving around without have to find special cards, load cards, or carry cash.

NYC--but which NYC system? I rode on PATH last night, and I had to buy a paper ticket from a machine. And then there was the annoyance of getting the machine to accept a Canadian credit card ...

MTA buses and trains. You can tap with your debit or credit card. They also cap your weekly fee so once you hit a certain amount spent your rides are free. You just have to use the same card each time so they can track your use.

Have fun in NYC!

[tomh009]

NYC--but which NYC system? I rode on PATH last night, and I had to buy a paper ticket from a machine. And then there was the annoyance of getting the machine to accept a Canadian credit card ...

Haha, I remember taking the PATH train from Harrison when I was visiting NYC.

I found it amazing that a system with brand new trains still felt authentically 1990s, the paper tickets really completed the feel.

It looks like you were referring to the OMNY system, which works with either OMNY cards or with phones/credit cards. It's indeed pretty convenient, but years behind schedule (there are still no machines to buy cards at most stations), not universally adopted and with some technological limitations (e.g. cannot see remaining balance on card).

I think that Presto is technologically a better solution (for transit payment) although some of the decisions made by Metrolinx/TTC are somewhat questionable. The Tokyo area Suica/PASMO cards are an old system dating back over 20 years but payment opportunities are absolutely ubiquitous, you can buy them anywhere, payment processing is instantaneous and you always know how much money you have. And, yes, you can use your phone, too, if you wish. They simply just work.

[nms]

GRT posted on their Instagram with news about ridership/boardings in the last month. In September there was 3.8 million boardings and 2.9 million trips both are records. These values surpass the previous records by roughly 0.8 million and 0.7 million respectively (based on the data that GRT has posted on their website).

They also state that there planning on adding 50000 new hours of service in 2024 and more information will be shared in the coming weeks.

Okay, math is not my strong suit, but follow along with me and let me know if my calculations are right:

50,000 hours / 365 days = 137 additional hours per day (averaged, not accounting for differences between weekdays and weekends)
137 daily hours / 18 operational hours (ie: 6am to midnight) = 7.6 new buses on the road per day

Does that track? Obviously these hours could appear in a number of ways, like increased frequency around rush hour, more buses during the weekdays vs weekends, but I know the 2041 long-term GRT plan intends for route frequency per hour to slowly increase between 2021 and 2041, regardless of time of day. For example, a low-frequency route that currently sees 2 buses per hour (once every 30 minutes) is supposed to step up to 2.4 buses an hour (once every 25 min) by 2026, 3 buses per hour (every 20 minutes) by 2031, 4 buses per hour (every 15 min) by 2036 and then finally 5 buses per hour, once every 12 minutes, by 2041.

How does 50,000 hours compare to the number of hours run in a year? For instance, using SF22's equation, 1,000,000 bus hours works out to 152 buses operating 18-hour days all year long. When compared to 1,000,000 hours, 50,000 is a 5% increase in service.

[SammyOES]

MTA buses and trains. You can tap with your debit or credit card. They also cap your weekly fee so once you hit a certain amount spent your rides are free. You just have to use the same card each time so they can track your use.

Have fun in NYC!

Just returned to NYC recently for the first time in awhile and I was impressed by the new system. It makes so much sense to just have customers tap and then have the computer figure out what you owe and what discounts you get. It's especially nice compared to the old metro card system where you had to pick an amount to load on a card, factor in the "bonus" amount you'd get, and then divide that by the number of trips you wanted.

[nms]

Students at Conestoga College may get a transit U-Pass next fall (CBC)

The college held a referendum between Oct. 10 and 16 that saw a 93 per cent vote in favour of implementing the pass.
...
Students would be eligible for the pass next fall, as long as regional council ratifies it during the 2024 budget discussions.