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+--- Thread: Grand River Transit (/showthread.php?tid=13)
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RE: Grand River Transit - MidTowner - 09-01-2016
(08-31-2016, 06:09 PM)danbrotherston Wrote: I cannot find the citation, but I seem to recall that it was suggested that top up machines would be found fairly universally, not just at GRT facilities, I think supermarkets were explicitly mentioned.
I’ve given tickets to people asking for bus fare on the street, and I’ve seen others do the same. Some people I know do that who would not be comfortable giving cash for their own reasons.
Some households buy strips of tickets to be used by multiple members. I have a neighbour who asks another neighbour for a bus ticket when he takes one of his very seldom bus trips.
These kinds of things are not possible with a fare card.
No matter what, tickets will be more flexible than a pre-loaded card, even if you can preload at very many locations and with no minimum top-up, using any form of money. I still don’t think that’s a strong argument against moving away from tickets, but people of less means will be disadvantaged in some ways that should be mitigated where possible.
Question for anyone who might know: if an EasyGO card is loaded using cash at a machine, is there any requirement to associate a name or any other personal information with that card? For people who buy passes, can the pass be purchased at a kiosk and a receipt provided, again without a name or other information being associated with the card?
RE: Grand River Transit - Viewfromthe42 - 09-01-2016
I *think* only discounted fares need any association. So, like the TTC pass, whoever has the card can use it, unless you're loading it with discounted fares.
RE: Grand River Transit - Markster - 09-01-2016
For comparison, with Presto, you only need to register a card with a person when you set up discounted passes, or online balance reloading.
RE: Grand River Transit - danbrotherston - 09-01-2016
(09-01-2016, 09:26 AM)MidTowner Wrote:(08-31-2016, 06:09 PM)danbrotherston Wrote: I cannot find the citation, but I seem to recall that it was suggested that top up machines would be found fairly universally, not just at GRT facilities, I think supermarkets were explicitly mentioned.
I’ve given tickets to people asking for bus fare on the street, and I’ve seen others do the same. Some people I know do that who would not be comfortable giving cash for their own reasons.
Some households buy strips of tickets to be used by multiple members. I have a neighbour who asks another neighbour for a bus ticket when he takes one of his very seldom bus trips.
These kinds of things are not possible with a fare card.
No matter what, tickets will be more flexible than a pre-loaded card, even if you can preload at very many locations and with no minimum top-up, using any form of money. I still don’t think that’s a strong argument against moving away from tickets, but people of less means will be disadvantaged in some ways that should be mitigated where possible.
Question for anyone who might know: if an EasyGO card is loaded using cash at a machine, is there any requirement to associate a name or any other personal information with that card? For people who buy passes, can the pass be purchased at a kiosk and a receipt provided, again without a name or other information being associated with the card?
In some ways they are less flexible, although not to the degree you describe. I believe a household would be able to share a farecard, although not for traveling together.
I don't know for sure, but I would be very surprised if one needed to provide any ID or personal information to get a card. That would be pretty unusual for a transit system.
And in other ways, the fare cards are more flexible. Right now, if you can't afford a strip of 10 tickets, or don't need 10 tickets, you must pay the higher cash fare. With the fare card, you can pay the lower fare in smaller intervals.
I do agree, I have given people bus tickets before, and that would be much harder to do with a fare card. There are certainly trade offs, but I believe the advantages still outweigh the costs, I would suspect, even for the less fortunate.
RE: Grand River Transit - KevinL - 09-01-2016
As for top-up machines, I beleive Presto has automated units and I am hopeful EasyGo will do the same. We may even see them on Ion platforms, major bus hubs like the Boardwalk, etc.
RE: Grand River Transit - taylortbb - 09-01-2016
(09-01-2016, 01:45 PM)KevinL Wrote: As for top-up machines, I beleive Presto has automated units and I am hopeful EasyGo will do the same. We may even see them on Ion platforms, major bus hubs like the Boardwalk, etc.
Automated top-up machines are definitely in the contract for every ION station platform. Given that I'll be pretty surprised if they aren't also at major bus hubs.
RE: Grand River Transit - dunkalunk - 09-05-2016
Did anyone else notice that they changed the font on GRT bus destination signs? I asked a driver and he confirmed they changed in on Sunday. They appear to show a larger, non-shifting route number. There also appears to be more emphasis on the name of the route and less on the destination. I'll post a picture once I get one tomorrow unless someone beats me to it.
RE: Grand River Transit - Waterlooer - 09-05-2016
(09-05-2016, 08:20 PM)dunkalunk Wrote: Did anyone else notice that they changed the font on GRT bus destination signs? I asked a driver and he confirmed they changed in on Sunday. They appear to show a larger, non-shifting route number. There also appears to be more emphasis on the name of the route and less on the destination. I'll post a picture once I get one tomorrow unless someone beats me to it.
Yes I have noticed this too! So far I'm really liking this change and find it easier to understand.
RE: Grand River Transit - yige_t - 09-06-2016
(09-05-2016, 08:20 PM)dunkalunk Wrote: Did anyone else notice that they changed the font on GRT bus destination signs? I asked a driver and he confirmed they changed in on Sunday. They appear to show a larger, non-shifting route number. There also appears to be more emphasis on the name of the route and less on the destination. I'll post a picture once I get one tomorrow unless someone beats me to it.
They started popping up last week. New signs now have two exposures, rotating between "# ROUTE NAME" in all cap and "# DESTINATION" in small cap format. Looks good and more standardized across the network. I Wouldn't say that the emphasis is more on the destination, though.
Example:
20 VICTORIA-FREDERICK / 20 TO THE BOARDWALK
![[Image: 28752805703_77016c8ed1.jpg]](https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8406/28752805703_77016c8ed1.jpg)
![[Image: 28752823943_5d24947b61.jpg]](https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8819/28752823943_5d24947b61.jpg)
34 BINGEMANS / 34 TO CHARLES TERMINAL
![[Image: 29340449706_b9c271710a.jpg]](https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8164/29340449706_b9c271710a.jpg)
![[Image: 29295331311_9291625acf.jpg]](https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8130/29295331311_9291625acf.jpg)
RE: Grand River Transit - Canard - 09-06-2016
Ehhhhhh, I really hate that. I actually just cringed. Why can't it be mixed-case Helvetica?
RE: Grand River Transit - chutten - 09-06-2016
(09-06-2016, 07:58 AM)Canard Wrote: Ehhhhhh, I really hate that. I actually just cringed. Why can't it be mixed-case Helvetica? :(
How many inches-per-dot do you think those signs' resolutions are? :)
I'm not sure they aren't using small-caps Helvetica. All I can tell is that it's sans-serif.
RE: Grand River Transit - Markster - 09-06-2016
I like the change!
The SMALLCAP format is pretty adorable, and it helps quickly determine which phase of the sign you're looking at.
(09-06-2016, 10:10 AM)chutten Wrote: How many inches-per-dot do you think those signs' resolutions are?I see what you did there
RE: Grand River Transit - Pheidippides - 09-06-2016
Pretty sure none of those fonts and practices are AODA compliant.
RE: Grand River Transit - KevinL - 09-06-2016
(09-06-2016, 10:41 AM)Pheidippides Wrote: Pretty sure none of those fonts and practices are AODA compliant.
Really? What do the regulations require, then?
RE: Grand River Transit - timc - 09-06-2016
I find smallcaps harder to read at a distance than allcaps.