Grand River Transit

[plam]

I think open payment systems, letting people just tap their credit/debit card, would the logical evolution. Anything else has too many issues.

I'm not in that demographic, but there is a demographic of people who don't have cards. Probably more in the US, less in Canada, and almost zero in NZ ("the unbanked"). Come to think of it, I do not remember seeing any payday lending in NZ, but that's a different topic.

In Auckland it is impossible to get on the bus and pay cash. You can take the train (another reason trains > buses unless you are actually doing LRT right) but you can't take the bus. This can be really annoying; with open payment less so, unless you don't have a credit/debit card.

Probably these days if we went to China we'd all be in the "unbanked" category, with the prevalence of electronic payments...

[danbrotherston]

I think open payment systems, letting people just tap their credit/debit card, would the logical evolution. Anything else has too many issues.

I'm not in that demographic, but there is a demographic of people who don't have cards. Probably more in the US, less in Canada, and almost zero in NZ ("the unbanked"). Come to think of it, I do not remember seeing any payday lending in NZ, but that's a different topic.

In Auckland it is impossible to get on the bus and pay cash. You can take the train (another reason trains > buses unless you are actually doing LRT right) but you can't take the bus. This can be really annoying; with open payment less so, unless you don't have a credit/debit card.

Probably these days if we went to China we'd all be in the "unbanked" category, with the prevalence of electronic payments...

Travelling can definitely put one in the "unbanked" category based on how prevalent visa/MC  is in the country you're travelling to. While the Netherlands is heavily digitized for banking (some checkouts don't accept cash, I think self checkouts also only accept cards, and some entire stores also only accept cards, no cash at all) Visa is not ubiquitous. Many restaurants, stores, and even the entire major grocery chain Albert Heijn accepts only Maestro, the equivalent of Interac.

So if you travel to the Netherlands, from Canada or the US, best to bring cash because a lot of places won't accept visa (and frankly, don't advertise that fact at all).

Fortunately, most transit seems to take visa as well even on buses which is very cool, but I've never tried cash for transit.

And while the country has a famous and mostly excellent national fare card for transit, they are transitioning to using a visa (or maestro) payment card for the same purpose with the same universality, which is, frankly on brand for the country's generally excellently integrated infrastructure, they're even doing a nice thing where you'll be both able to access your transit records online for your visa card, and also billing you at EOD for your days total so that it's clearer how much you pay (rather than having a hold, and debit, and a credit every time you transfer between transit vehicles).

[clasher]

GRT summer schedule sucks. Last LRT left uptown at 2348, like wtf. The fare machine stopped working too so I couldn't buy a ticket for the bus and didn't have any cash. It certainly seemed like it was busy out.

[tomh009]

Travelling can definitely put one in the "unbanked" category based on how prevalent visa/MC  is in the country you're travelling to. While the Netherlands is heavily digitized for banking (some checkouts don't accept cash, I think self checkouts also only accept cards, and some entire stores also only accept cards, no cash at all) Visa is not ubiquitous. Many restaurants, stores, and even the entire major grocery chain Albert Heijn accepts only Maestro, the equivalent of Interac.

Similar, but not quite the same as Interac: Maestro is a proprietary (and old) debit card system. Mastercard has now discontinued it everywhere in Europe, and all Maestro cardholders are getting MasterCard debit cards. Apparently even Albert Hejn is now accepting MasterCard (and I think Visa) debit cards. Credit apparently not yet, but all stores are supposed to accept that by the end of 2024.

[danbrotherston]

Travelling can definitely put one in the "unbanked" category based on how prevalent visa/MC  is in the country you're travelling to. While the Netherlands is heavily digitized for banking (some checkouts don't accept cash, I think self checkouts also only accept cards, and some entire stores also only accept cards, no cash at all) Visa is not ubiquitous. Many restaurants, stores, and even the entire major grocery chain Albert Heijn accepts only Maestro, the equivalent of Interac.

Similar, but not quite the same as Interac: Maestro is a proprietary (and old) debit card system. Mastercard has now discontinued it everywhere in Europe, and all Maestro cardholders are getting MasterCard debit cards. Apparently even Albert Hejn is now accepting MasterCard (and I think Visa) debit cards. Credit apparently not yet, but all stores are supposed to accept that by the end of 2024.

Fair enough...I'm not certain what the actual debit card payment protocol is here, it's possible the few people I've heard say it have called it Maestro for historical reasons. All I know is that we have a debit card with no Visa or Mastercard branding that works at these places.

Perhaps a more interesting question is who runs these payment systems, Interact is a collaboration of all the banks in Canada. I'd be curious if other places have created similar co-operative organizations, and how far they reach (all of Canada is pretty small, and in Europe, it would be pointlessly small). That's the one advantage of Visa is utterly massive reach--albeit not yet into AH.

[ac3r]

GRT summer schedule sucks. Last LRT left uptown at 2348, like wtf. The fare machine stopped working too so I couldn't buy a ticket for the bus and didn't have any cash. It certainly seemed like it was busy out.

Why do we even have a summer schedule in a region with at least 650'000 people? It's stupid. There are still tens of thousands of people relying on transit no matter what time of the year.

[SF22]

GRT summer schedule sucks. Last LRT left uptown at 2348, like wtf. The fare machine stopped working too so I couldn't buy a ticket for the bus and didn't have any cash. It certainly seemed like it was busy out.

Why do we even have a summer schedule in a region with at least 650'000 people? It's stupid. There are still tens of thousands of people relying on transit no matter what time of the year.

I use transit more often in the summer than the rest of the year, to go to all the events happening in downtown and uptown. We took the train one rainy Sunday afternoon to Waterloo Park and it was absolutely packed.

[clasher]

I'd had a few pops so I was a bit pissed so I ended up with a 18$ cab ride. I'd normally just do a drunken walk home but my partner was in heels.

I could understand a bit less service along school routes but the LRT should run until 2am all year.

[Rainrider22]

I agree !!

[bravado]

I'd had a few pops so I was a bit pissed so I ended up with a 18$ cab ride. I'd normally just do a drunken walk home but my partner was in heels.

I could understand a bit less service along school routes but the LRT should run until 2am all year.

I’m becoming more confident that transit planners and GO Transit project managers never go out at night and never leave their houses on the weekend. Who makes these decisions?

[ijmorlan]

I'd had a few pops so I was a bit pissed so I ended up with a 18$ cab ride. I'd normally just do a drunken walk home but my partner was in heels.

I could understand a bit less service along school routes but the LRT should run until 2am all year.

Totally agreed. I think we should pay for 10 minute service too — get people used to the idea that the LRT is always there for them.

[nms]

What does the current LRT agreement stipulate? Is there an option to increase service faster than planned (either longer hours or more frequent services). Of course, pushing LRT service past midnight on the Waterloo Spur, the LRT would have to dodge the CN freight service.

[KevinL]

Of course, pushing LRT service past midnight on the Waterloo Spur, the LRT would have to dodge the CN freight service.

If they reduce frequency they can use just the northbound track between Waterloo Park and Northfield, and only need to time around crossings at Erb.

[plam]

I'd had a few pops so I was a bit pissed so I ended up with a 18$ cab ride. I'd normally just do a drunken walk home but my partner was in heels.

I could understand a bit less service along school routes but the LRT should run until 2am all year.

So New York City's transit is famous for running 24h (at less frequency in the wee hours), but even Montreal's metro closes at 1am on Saturdays and 00:30 on other days. They do have the excuse that they need to do substantial tunnel maintenance all the time. LRT does not have that excuse.

[ac3r]

Hah, 2AM for the LRT? Not a chance. Waterloo Region isn't a 24 hour city like Toronto, Berlin, New York City. There is no reason to operate the LRT past midnight and pay all of that money just to move a dozen people.