khris
Senior Member
TTC wait times on texts, screens
New next-arrival-time messages let riders grab coffee – or a cab
Dec 16, 2008 04:30 AM
Tess Kalinowski
TRANSPORTATION REPORTER
If information is power, then the TTC is about to put a little bit more of it into the hands of riders.
A new $5.2 million GPS-based screen system means TTC patrons will have access to next-vehicle-arrival information on streetcar and bus platforms by early 2010.
But even before that system is fully installed, riders will be able to get information about when the next bus or streetcar will arrive via text messages on their cellphones.
LCD displays inside stations will show when the next several vehicles are due to arrive and map where other streetcars and buses are located down the route. LED screens, which are less susceptible to weather conditions, will announce next-vehicle-arrival information on platforms.
By late next year, similar information will be available on LED screens at about 350 outdoor transit shelters across the city.
Giving riders the ability to learn how far down the line the next vehicle is means they can grab a cab instead or take time to get a coffee, depending on their schedule.
"It will give people more information to make intelligent decisions about how they travel and move around the city, and that's critical," said TTC chair Adam Giambrone, who showed off the new screens at the 510 Spadina streetcar platform yesterday.
The system is expected to become increasingly accurate as it records data based on variations in the vehicles' travel pattern and calculates the differences, he said.
Also coming to the TTC next year is a text-based system that will allow riders to receive next-vehicle-arrival information for the more than 10,000 bus and streetcar stops in the city via text messaging. Each stop will post a number that riders can use to access that information.
About 6,000 of the TTC's surface stops have shelters. The new shelters being installed as part of the city's street furniture project are wired to work with the LED signs. But it's not clear yet which shelters will get the displays, said TTC spokesperson Brad Ross.
"There's a criterion that needs to be established with respect to which shelters those go in. There are about 3,000 stops that are fairly major intersections," he said.
A next-train arrival system for the subway will be installed on subway platforms around the city early next year.
"No matter where you are, you will have access to real-time information at your stop," Giambrone said.
The same information will be available on the TTC's web page.
More is coming in the next year, including the opportunity to sign up for email alerts on problems in the system. Next summer, the TTC hopes to launch a trip planner that will help riders map and time a route anywhere on the system.
Source
New next-arrival-time messages let riders grab coffee – or a cab
Dec 16, 2008 04:30 AM
Tess Kalinowski
TRANSPORTATION REPORTER
If information is power, then the TTC is about to put a little bit more of it into the hands of riders.
A new $5.2 million GPS-based screen system means TTC patrons will have access to next-vehicle-arrival information on streetcar and bus platforms by early 2010.
But even before that system is fully installed, riders will be able to get information about when the next bus or streetcar will arrive via text messages on their cellphones.
LCD displays inside stations will show when the next several vehicles are due to arrive and map where other streetcars and buses are located down the route. LED screens, which are less susceptible to weather conditions, will announce next-vehicle-arrival information on platforms.
By late next year, similar information will be available on LED screens at about 350 outdoor transit shelters across the city.
Giving riders the ability to learn how far down the line the next vehicle is means they can grab a cab instead or take time to get a coffee, depending on their schedule.
"It will give people more information to make intelligent decisions about how they travel and move around the city, and that's critical," said TTC chair Adam Giambrone, who showed off the new screens at the 510 Spadina streetcar platform yesterday.
The system is expected to become increasingly accurate as it records data based on variations in the vehicles' travel pattern and calculates the differences, he said.
Also coming to the TTC next year is a text-based system that will allow riders to receive next-vehicle-arrival information for the more than 10,000 bus and streetcar stops in the city via text messaging. Each stop will post a number that riders can use to access that information.
About 6,000 of the TTC's surface stops have shelters. The new shelters being installed as part of the city's street furniture project are wired to work with the LED signs. But it's not clear yet which shelters will get the displays, said TTC spokesperson Brad Ross.
"There's a criterion that needs to be established with respect to which shelters those go in. There are about 3,000 stops that are fairly major intersections," he said.
A next-train arrival system for the subway will be installed on subway platforms around the city early next year.
"No matter where you are, you will have access to real-time information at your stop," Giambrone said.
The same information will be available on the TTC's web page.
More is coming in the next year, including the opportunity to sign up for email alerts on problems in the system. Next summer, the TTC hopes to launch a trip planner that will help riders map and time a route anywhere on the system.
Source
