Grand River Transit

[MidTowner]

...for example, right now Transit app doesn't show the Uptown Waterloo or King/Union stops for the 200 iXpress, which were only recently put back into service...

How new is this? The Uptown stop I knew about, but not the King/Union stop. We're getting closer to normal. But it's too bad the apps don't show it yet.

[zanate]

Near as I can tell, the easyGo app has access to the realtime data. Transit only advertises knowledge of the scheduled data (at least according to their app description on Google Play).

This wouldn't be a problem if GRT released their realtime data like they said in August(pdf) they would (still no sign of it).

Transit is currently showing realtime data for GRT. Check it out.

As for how, well... I've spoken to them a few times, and they're an imaginative bunch. If they can create a transit network out of Nairobi's mass of independent Matatus, they can figure out how to take a sip from the same fountain the GRT easyGo app does. GRT and eSolutionsGroup aren't going to out-manuevre them...

[Section ThirtyOne]

The most reliable option I've found is https://busmaple.com/ - I check the map to see where the buses actually are, which lets me predict arrival times a lot more intelligently than the "Next departure" times on the apps. BusMaple also works on mobile a lot better than GRT's official realtime web page.

Thank you! I did not know the BusMaple page even existed.

[KevinL]

This wouldn't be a problem if GRT released their realtime data like they said in August(pdf) they would (still no sign of it).

The Region has found this to be a double-edged sword, as every single delay would be able to be tracked in real time by any interested member of the public and the statistics generated be presented without bias or staff involvement. This potential accountability is giving them pause, in the truest sense.

[goggolor]

How new is this? The Uptown stop I knew about, but not the King/Union stop. We're getting closer to normal. But it's too bad the apps don't show it yet.

King/Union was the replacement stop for GRH when King St south of Union was closed earlier this year. King/Union and Uptown Waterloo were both put back into service last Tuesday when King St north of Union was temporarily repaved for the winter. But it was only this morning that the King/Union stop appeared on the easyGo real time app, and it's still missing from the easyGO web interfaces.

[zanate]

This wouldn't be a problem if GRT released their realtime data like they said in August(pdf) they would (still no sign of it).

The Region has found this to be a double-edged sword, as every single delay would be able to be tracked in real time by any interested member of the public and the statistics generated be presented without bias or staff involvement. This potential accountability is giving them pause, in the truest sense.

The easyGo mobile app launched one year ago. In the consultations of fall 2014, they talked about wanting to withhold access to the real time data from third party developers "for a few months", in order to sort these concerns out.

One year later, still no official access. I don't know about you, but I'm done making excuses for them. They're talking a lot about open data and it's time to walk that talk.

[mpd618]

This wouldn't be a problem if GRT released their realtime data like they said in August(pdf) they would (still no sign of it).

The Region has found this to be a double-edged sword, as every single delay would be able to be tracked in real time by any interested member of the public and the statistics generated be presented without bias or staff involvement. This potential accountability is giving them pause, in the truest sense.

They haven't found it to be a double-edged sword. That's a fear in their imagination, and that fear is outweighing the real benefits to the public of easily knowing where their goddamn bus is.

[zanate]

They haven't found it to be a double-edged sword. That's a fear in their imagination, and that fear is outweighing the real benefits to the public of easily knowing where their goddamn bus is.

And they've already got their own metrics and the press that shows they're getting out in front of this, like they said they wanted. 3 months ago.

http://www.therecord.com/news-story/5812...-the-time/

[goggolor]

Google Maps is now using GRT real-time data. If you look up transit directions in Google Maps, it will show whether the bus is on time and if not, how late it is running.

[KevinL]

Given that the open data is not officially available, I suppose they must be stripping info from EasyGo much like the Transit app does.

[taylortbb]

I wouldn't assume that. Google doesn't get their data from publicly available sources, rather transit agencies submit their data to Google (in a format Google defines). It's possible for agencies to submit their data to Google without making it officially public.

Unofficially Google requires it be at a public URL, but absent knowing that URL it's effectively private.

[goggolor]

I did a comparison while waiting for my bus on Friday rush hour, when the iXpress is reliably late. The Transit App and Google Maps were displaying the same estimated arrival times, which differed from the time on the official GRT EasyGo app by several minutes. It seems like both external apps had a significant delay in getting updated data.

[MidTowner]

Region floats free transit for poor from The Record today.

I don't like when it's insinuated that transit is a social service. But I generally think more transit revenue should come from public subsidies than from riders. This would really just be an expansion of existing programs to help people of less economic means access transit; it's probably a good idea on balance.

[Spokes]

Interesting idea. I'd imagine the response to the idea will be quite mixed. I don't even want to look at the comments on that Record article though.

[Viewfromthe42]

We already do this somewhat, both with subsidized passes, and I believe the locations where we've had free meals or a place to sleep would give out a GRT ticket to anyone.

We have plenty of studies which show that the direct cost of doing an obviously good thing (e.g. paying to house all homeless people) is far less, and has far greater results, than the sum of indirect costs and impacts of "saving" that money.

I'd need to know more, but I like the idea a great deal on first glance. Sure, there will be questions. How much revenue would this remove? What would the administration costs be? Would buses become places the homeless would treat as shelters from weather or for sleep? I'm sure that last one is not a reasonable question, but it will be asked, along with many others, that need good answers from the get-go, lest we have the conversation start and stay on a wrong rumour foot.