Grand River Transit

[mpd618]

There's also still no shelters for the 204 iXpress.

[darts]

Isn't there an iXpress route planned for Ottawa Street? Presumably this money would go toward the platforms for that route.

Yeah I just read through the future plans. I thought the current LRT stop there would already have shelters in place. Seems like a lot of money for a couple of more bus shelters

[Markster]

Isn't there an iXpress route planned for Ottawa Street? Presumably this money would go toward the platforms for that route.

Yeah I just read through the future plans. I thought the current LRT stop there would already have shelters in place. Seems like a lot of money for a couple of more bus shelters

It's bus platforms and shelters for all of Ottawa St. Probably 30 platforms and shelters in all.

[DKsan]

New GRT fare cards could disadvantage the poor

Honestly, most of the problems in this don't seem difficult to solve. If the cards cost 60 cents, then subsidize a whole bunch of cards for free. Don't have a minimum deposit. Give reload devices to social services. Turn T.R.I.P. and other discounted fares into specific categories that can only be "turned" on at social agencies that people are already using.

[Elmira Guy]

I don't think any social services provide anything beyond a couple of bus tickets now and then. I don't believe there is anything offered beyond that.

Oops. Says that in the article.

[DKsan]

The Region of Waterloo has several discounted fare programs.

[Elmira Guy]

@ DKsan Really? Discounted fares based on income level?

[tomh009]

The TRIP program offers monthly passes for $42, about half the cost of a regular pass.
http://www.grt.ca/en/riderprograms/reducedincome.asp

[chutten]

I'm more worried about prevalence of top-up stations. Every mom-and-pop can sell GRT tickets. Hell, my supermarket does.

But I'll bet it won't have a machine that'll take coins and turn it into trips on a card. If I don't have Internet where I live, or a bank account/credit card/etc. ... then how can I use the bus?

Suddenly everything gets harder for the disadvantaged.

[KevinL]

The bus and LRT will still take cash (at full rate). The cards will replace tickets and passes.

[chutten]

The bus and LRT will still take cash (at full rate). The cards will replace tickets and passes.

This is where I hand-wave to TriTAG's examination of the price-per-trip of tickets versus cash in an effort to distract you from how I clearly could have written a better rhetorical question about the difficulties of those-who-do-not-have. :)

Perhaps it'll only be a micro-difficulty (cf. micro-aggression). And perhaps it doesn't matter at all as only the rich can afford to use transit around here (this is supposed to be a zinger).

[danbrotherston]

I'm more worried about prevalence of top-up stations. Every mom-and-pop can sell GRT tickets. Hell, my supermarket does.

But I'll bet it won't have a machine that'll take coins and turn it into trips on a card. If I don't have Internet where I live, or a bank account/credit card/etc. ... then how can I use the bus?

Suddenly everything gets harder for the disadvantaged.

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.

[taylortbb]

I think for the top-up machines it's actually a mix of upside and downside for low-income users.

The downside is of course that those which must use cash can only top-up at a top-up machine, which is probably in fewer locations than the number that currently sell bus tickets.

However, I remember reading that one of the highest users of cash fares are low income riders who cannot afford the up-front expense of an entire strip of tickets to access the reduced per-ride rate. As automated top-up machines generally have no minimum top-up for cash, a rider who's received a multi-use card from a social assistance agency now has access to ticket-like reduced fares, while not having to commit the full price of a strip of tickets. This of course depends on there being adequate reload machines, but with them being located at every ION station and major transfer point it will apply to a lot of riders.

[timc]

The EasyGO FAQ says that "A minimum amount of $10 must be loaded on the card; therefore you cannot load a single fare ride onto your EasyGO Fare Card. If you wish to ride only once, you may continue to pay cash." Do you think that also applies to top-up machines?

http://www.grt.ca/en/fares/EasyGO-FAQ.asp

[taylortbb]

I interpreted that as a minimum initial load to get a card, not a restriction on topping up an existing card. I could also see it applying to electronic transactions due to the overhead cost of processing a payment, but don't see why it would apply to cash top-ups.