Guelph Transit Update (and it's much better)

[SeanofGTA]

This is apparently set up to put resources where people i.e. University Student Riders are. There will be a proper Growth Strategy to address gaps within this base system sometime in 2018. Also my friends in the city say they are looking at bendy buses and/or double decker buses with all that recent Government Money.

The real change of note for a system I found very frustrating and inefficient is the 99 route. That was what was being promoted in various forms by the last two Bus Managers, along with artics to run it. It would be akin to a subway spine with other routes leading into it, not following it to Guelph Central, which is still an incredibly inefficient way of doing things. It's still hub and spoke, albeit with a spine added. For a city of over 130,000, it's a small town system. And will be for the for-see-able future at this rate.

 

[steveintoronto]

This is apparently set up to put resources where people i.e. University Student Riders are.

Yeah, the September start for changes is a dead give-away on that. In all fairness, the Uni contributes financially to the 'university routes' run on a seasonal basis.

my friends in the city say they are looking at bendy buses and/or double decker buses with all that recent Government Money.

This is a case of where Fed Infrastructure funds makes a huge difference, because as it was, the system was going backwards, being cut to less than the bone. Some earlier reports and plans from managers talked of a route to K/W shared w/ GRT, but it was a pipe dream. Ditto for artics, which would require a new garage to house and service, but on the 99 route especially, it would be a game changer.

Until they abandon the habit of many of the buses meeting at Guelph Central where you get four and sometimes five buses all running the same route to get there, inefficiency is unavoidable. A grid system is going to have to be instituted at some point with the 99 being the way in to Guelph Central. It means transferring buses at major intersections, something oddly alien to Guelphites, but no different than considering the 99 route as a 'subway' or 'busway' downtown. And Guelph Central itself...I guess the thinking was to put it right by the old railway station, but in retrospect, it was a huge wasted investment. Credit to Councillor Bell for having the foresight to see it was manic to tear down the old coach terminal there and replace it with bus station that still doesn't have washrooms or sheltered waiting.

Some day the Guelph buses might even accept Presto Cards and offer an all-day transfer situation to GO. (There's only a co-fare at limited times of the day and routes, and even that was cut-back, not increased, a year or so ago)

 

[SeanofGTA]

Guelph has no plans to use Presto.

Look at the new map. Overlapping is kept to minimum.

 

[APTA-2048]

Wow. I didn’t know that a transit agency in Ontario could be this cheap and desperate for money. Even YRT is brand conscious.

https://www.guelphtoday.com/local-news/guelph-transit-buses-adopting-all-white-look-11578889

The blue and green wraps typically seen on the outside of buses will be a thing of the past, as transit officials are moving to an all-white look.

“The blue and green wraps got easily damaged when we put advertisements over them, which is why we explored other options,” Glenn Marcus, Guelph Transit’s general manager, told GuelphToday in an emailed statement.

“Forgoing the wrap will also keep costs down, for both initial purchase and maintenance.”

There are 12 white buses at the moment, and Marcus said they will be including more in the fleet over the next few years.

He added that advertisements will be placed on the new buses, and were just eager to get the buses on the roads.

 

[KhalilHeron]

Wow. I didn’t know that a transit agency in Ontario could be this cheap and desperate for money. Even YRT is brand conscious.

https://www.guelphtoday.com/local-news/guelph-transit-buses-adopting-all-white-look-11578889

Cheap by necessity, unfortunately. Multiple service increases and route changes that were supposed to reconfigure the network to increase ridership and were already signed off on have been deferred indefinitely by council in favour of making transit free for kids and seniors, which has produced no increased ridership. Really hoping for some new leadership that actually cares about transit at city hall eventually : \

 

[Mind_the_gap]

^ What was really ever wrong with the old livery that it needed replacing?? Seems like they could've easily re-implemented this:

kevinsbusrail.com

The whole rebranding seemed silly to begin with, just like GOVA in Sudbury - as in some university department said instead of actually fixing things, let's give the buses a new livery and change route numbers/signs.

At least Guelph utilizes their LCD-screens better:

@Blob

Ps. I used to work at the Canadian Tire in Fergus - the laziest co-workers I've ever encountered were University of Guelph students.

 

[APTA-2048]

^ What was really ever wrong with the old livery that it needed replacing?? Seems like they could've easily re-implemented this:

kevinsbusrail.com

The whole rebranding seemed silly to begin with, just like GOVA in Sudbury - as in some university department said instead of actually fixing things, let's give the buses a new livery and change route numbers/signs.

At least Guelph utilizes their LCD-screens better:

@Blob

Ps. I used to work at the Canadian Tire in Fergus - the laziest co-workers I've ever encountered were University of Guelph students.

I think you misunderstand what they’re doing. It’s not about having a new livery. It’s about having no livery. Just ads.

 

[drum118]

Why would Guelph, KW, and Brantford need a Presto card when it is only good for a small number of GO Transit riders in the first place?

None of them connects to another system. Having a Prestro system is more costly since ML wants a cut of all fare actions than the current system, which is a less costly system.

Guelph is no different from the hundreds of systems that are hub-only rather than a mix of grid routes. A Hub system only keeps moving riders to a car that can afford one, but in some systems it is the only way to do it.

I see nothing wrong with the current colour and design for the fleet, but it is nice to update them from time to time. Cost is a factor in some cases.

 

[KhalilHeron]

Why would Guelph, KW, and Brantford need a Presto card when it is only good for a small number of GO Transit riders in the first place?

None of them connects to another system. Having a Prestro system is more costly since ML wants a cut of all fare actions than the current system, which is a less costly system.

Guelph is no different from the hundreds of systems that are hub-only rather than a mix of grid routes. A Hub system only keeps moving riders to a car that can afford one, but in some systems it is the only way to do it.

I see nothing wrong with the current colour and design for the fleet, but it is nice to update them from time to time. Cost is a factor in some cases.

Guelph GRT also offer transfers to GO that you have to tap an extra card reader for or sign up online.
Guelphs redesigned 2031 network plan would have gone a long way to making the network less hub and spoke and more of a grid.

https://guelph.ca/wp-content/uploads/Guelph-Transit-Future-Ready-Action-Plan-Condensed-10-Year-Implementation-Plan.pdf