Grand River Transit

[KevinL]

The ones adjacent to Ion are GrandLinq-installed, and up and running a good bit faster than typical.

[MacBerry]

I don't think it's a good addition. It seems to have been driven by a knee jerk reaction to anecdotes from other jurisdictions, and not statistics. And, of course, without any consideration to the riders' experience.

Is Waterloo Region dangerous? Not particularly.

It is, as a driver, if someone spits on you ...

[Rainrider22]

51 events in 83,500,000 rides is 0.61 per 1 million rides.

I don't think the shields will make much of a difference in lowering the number of events. In fact I think people would actually be more likely to bang on the barrier and be more threatening because there is no need to fear actually hurting someone (and been held responsible for a more serious act) or defending themselves.

Someone truly irate will find around those partial barriers and then the driver is literally trapped like a caged animal. Also, if an irate passenger can't get at the driver they will just go after the next closest person which will be a passenger. Face to face human interaction, with nothing in between, can be quite disarming in the many situations.

It would be better to invest early childhood education to avoid creating violent adults, in de-escalation for the drivers, or shoveling of bus stops to reduce the total number of injuries in the GRT system I think.

The region has a responsibility under bill C168 to ensure a safe workplace for their employees. Failure to do so leaves them open to litigation which could end up costing a whole lot more than a shield..  Also, 51 events of violence may seem like a small number, but it is 51 too many for the drivers.  They should have all reasonable expectations of safety in the work place if there is a means to make it happen.

[ijmorlan]

51 events in 83,500,000 rides is 0.61 per 1 million rides.

I don't think the shields will make much of a difference in lowering the number of events. In fact I think people would actually be more likely to bang on the barrier and be more threatening because there is no need to fear actually hurting someone (and been held responsible for a more serious act) or defending themselves.

Someone truly irate will find around those partial barriers and then the driver is literally trapped like a caged animal. Also, if an irate passenger can't get at the driver they will just go after the next closest person which will be a passenger. Face to face human interaction, with nothing in between, can be quite disarming in the many situations.

It would be better to invest early childhood education to avoid creating violent adults, in de-escalation for the drivers, or shoveling of bus stops to reduce the total number of injuries in the GRT system I think.

The region has a responsibility under bill C168 to ensure a safe workplace for their employees. Failure to do so leaves them open to litigation which could end up costing a whole lot more than a shield..  Also, 51 events of violence may seem like a small number, but it is 51 too many for the drivers.  They should have all reasonable expectations of safety in the work place if there is a means to make it happen.

“Safe” doesn’t mean “perfectly safe”, which is impossible anyway. There is a non-0 chance of a driver being hit by a meteor in the course of their duties, or killed by another vehicle in a sudden and unavoidable collision. If the chance of being spit upon is comparable to the chance of being killed in a collision and that rate is itself low, then they are safe from being spit upon, even if there are some such incidents which can be tallied up and numbers published every year.

The “it is if you’re spit upon” thing is just as bogus as the “what if it’s your kid”. That is an incorrect way of thinking about safety because it encourages thinking about specific potential events that one fixates on instead of considering the overall safety landscape.

As to whether the incidents that would be mitigated by these shields are frequent enough to warrant installation in our city, I have no conclusive opinion. I’m not clear enough on what the numbers are, how they compare to elsewhere, how they compare to other occupations, and all the other facts that are necessary to make a rational decision.

[jwilliamson]

There was a sign at the Regina/Willis Way stop saying the detour would be ending and bus service would be returning to King between Bridgeport and Erb. Hopefully that means the entire stretch from Elgin to William will be back on King.

[Pheidippides]

They weren't kidding about the bus paint scheme matching the Ion, the buses also don't have the blue strip across the nose.
   

From planning and works agenda:
The nine (9) ION buses approved for purchase in March 2017 (COR-TRY-17-14) are being delivered between now and the end of the year. A picture of the ION bus is attached and one of them will be on display at 150 Frederick St. on December 5th, 2017. These buses incorporate a number of additional features which were determined through a public consultation process in 2015 and are listed below.

Interior Features
• USB Charging Stations
• Cushioned high back seating
• WiFi
• Paint scheme consistent with the ION light rail vehicles
• Aluminum Wheels
• High visibility white destination sign
• Flush Mounted Windows
• Streamlined Rooftop

"Until the ION light rail service is operational the ION buses will be used on Cambridge
local routes to introduce them to the community."

"The wifi feature will not be activated until the launch of the full ION service. Offering wifi while these buses operate on local routes will create an inconsistent service.

"They need to be safety certified and outfitted with GRT equipment such as the radio, farebox and automatic vehicle location technology and will be ready for service in February 2018."

[DHLawrence]

I get that regional headquarters is in Kitchener, but if they're going to be used in Cambridge, why not display them in Cambridge? Even Sportsworld would be tolerable.

[Pheidippides]

I think it is because it is a council night and the media might be there. They are have an event in Cambridge too:
"Prior to introducing the ION buses into service an inaugural event will be held in Cambridge."

[Canard]

What hours will it be open on Tuesday for viewing? Not really into buses, but I might saunter over...

[KevinL]

The agenda doesn't specify times, but I would imagine the afternoon-evening period before the council meeting is a sure thing.

[yige_t]

GRT Service Change effective January 2018:

http://www.grt.ca/en/service-updates/ser...dates.aspx

• 7A via Connaught - weekday midday service towards Downtown increased to every 15 minutes.
  
• 7B via Weber - weekday midday service towards Fairview Park increased to every 15 minutes.
  

• 200 iXpress - service is shifted back to Charles Street, between Downtown and Fairview Park. New stops will be placed at Charles/Cedar (Kitchener Market Station) and Charles/Borden (Borden Station). Stop at Weber/Ottawa will be removed. Stop at Parkside/Northfield will be relocated to Northfield/Kumpf (Northfield Station).
  
• Various new trips and cancellations
  

[MidTowner]

GRT Service Change effective January 2018:

http://www.grt.ca/en/service-updates/ser...dates.aspx

• 7A via Connaught - weekday midday service towards Downtown increased to every 15 minutes.
  
• 7B via Weber - weekday midday service towards Fairview Park increased to every 15 minutes.
  

• 200 iXpress - service is shifted back to Charles Street, between Downtown and Fairview Park. New stops will be placed at Charles/Cedar (Kitchener Market Station) and Charles/Borden (Borden Station). Stop at Weber/Ottawa will be removed. Stop at Parkside/Northfield will be relocated to Northfield/Kumpf (Northfield Station).
  
• Various new trips and cancellations
  

That's kind of nice. The more the 200 can emulate Ion's route and get people used to the new stops, the better, I think. Small move, but nice.

[KevinL]

Definitely a fan of the 200 changes. Will also make it easier to check on Ion progress!

[Viewfromthe42]

A bit frustrating that they keep snaking it around. First it was going on the route near the hospital and off route near Ottawa, now reversing, and in no case fully replicating. Ah well I guess.

[goggolor]

The 200 iXpress has also dropped the stop at King & Bridgeport.