Grand River Transit

[boatracer]

University of Waterloo Bus Station construction is currently out for bid. Closing September 13th. Bid documents here:

https://regionofwaterloo.bidsandtenders....64a1d19f8d

[KevinL]

Ooh, some interesting details in the documents for things like canopy and shelter design.

On-demand heaters within the shelters! Charging stations!

[danbrotherston]

Heaters are great, (although they wouldn't be necessary if the station was better located, *sigh*), but I'm curious about charging stations....I assume you mean USB charging ports, to charge phones. Does anyone ever use these? They seem like gimicks to me. I almost never have a USB cable with me when traveling. When I do, I usually also have a USB charger, so I can just charge from an AC outlet. I can maybe buy the idea on intercity trains or buses, or in airports and airplanes, but on city buses, I cannot imagine bothering. Do you know if GRT (or anyone) has data on usage of such things, or the cost to add them for that matter?

[KevinL]

I do personally carry a charging cable with me, mainly due to my heavy phone usage (particularly when I'm traveling). Not everyone has the same usage patterns, but this is helpful for those who need it.

[chutten]

How long are they expecting riders to be waiting for their buses if they expect charging stations to be sensible?

[tomh009]

How long are they expecting riders to be waiting for their buses if they expect charging stations to be sensible?

30-minute intervals are not unusual in the evening.

The cost of USB charging ports is minimal, I don't see why this would be a bad idea.

[Pheidippides]

Are those right angle gates on both sides of the rerouted Laurel trail?

Also, it looks like they put the cycle-cross elephant's feet markings along the MUTs along the road to Phillip, but not where the Laurel Trail crosses the new road.

I still think that buses are going to be backing up on to ring road and blocking the trail with this design.

[Canard]

How long are they expecting riders to be waiting for their buses if they expect charging stations to be sensible?

LOL!

The charging thing makes me laugh.  People are so addicted to their phones, and we're just feeding the problem.

[KevinL]

GO buses, and probably Greyhound, will be using this as well, and could have some long wait times.

[tomh009]

How long are they expecting riders to be waiting for their buses if they expect charging stations to be sensible?

LOL!

The charging thing makes me laugh.  People are so addicted to their phones, and we're just feeding the problem.

We want people to use public transit, so if USB ports make a difference for that, I'm all for it.

[danbrotherston]

How long are they expecting riders to be waiting for their buses if they expect charging stations to be sensible?

30-minute intervals are not unusual in the evening.

The cost of USB charging ports is minimal, I don't see why this would be a bad idea.

What is the cost?

Do you know specifically?  I don't know, but I wouldn't assume it's minimal.  Obviously I can buy a USB charger and plug it into an outlet for about 20 bucks (for a high quality one).  But this doesn't include the cost of additional wiring of the circuits, and further consumer costs are not in any way related to commercial/industrial costs.  I could easily see this adding thousands to a contract.

[danbrotherston]

LOL!

The charging thing makes me laugh.  People are so addicted to their phones, and we're just feeding the problem.

We want people to use public transit, so if USB ports make a difference for that, I'm all for it.

I agree, especially given mobile phones (Google Maps, live arrival times, etc.) are probably the biggest improvement to transit user experience we've seen since the car took over.

But I'm not convinced we have the data to show that it does make a difference, or that it makes a difference sufficiently large to cover the costs.

[danbrotherston]

I do personally carry a charging cable with me, mainly due to my heavy phone usage (particularly when I'm traveling). Not everyone has the same usage patterns, but this is helpful for those who need it.

I know some people do, I'm more asking if we have any data on how these are actually used.  I've not seen them used outside of an airport myself, but that's merely an anecdote.

That being said, I have had cause to need additional power on the go, I usually bring one of those power packs with me.

[timc]

Are those right angle gates on both sides of the rerouted Laurel trail?

We're re-routing the Laurel Trail? :-(

[tomh009]

30-minute intervals are not unusual in the evening.

The cost of USB charging ports is minimal, I don't see why this would be a bad idea.

What is the cost?

Do you know specifically?  I don't know, but I wouldn't assume it's minimal.  Obviously I can buy a USB charger and plug it into an outlet for about 20 bucks (for a high quality one).  But this doesn't include the cost of additional wiring of the circuits, and further consumer costs are not in any way related to commercial/industrial costs.  I could easily see this adding thousands to a contract.

$33 for a four-port receptacle.
https://store.leviton.com/collections/us...rger-usb4p

Standard 110V electrical wiring does not take long for a competent electrician. If we pay thousands for it, I've clearly chosen the wrong career.