Hipster Duck
Senior Member
To look at things half full, texting was one of the best inventions of the last 10 years because it (anecdotally) reduced the number of people who yak on their phone in public places.
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TTC: Customer Service
- Thread starter Dan416
- Start date
To look at things half full, texting was one of the best inventions of the last 10 years because it (anecdotally) reduced the number of people who yak on their phone in public places.
ShonTron
Moderator
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Not just that, but the numbers are small and a lousy font. Hard to tell a 2 and 3 (or 5) apart from any distance.
AlvinofDiaspar
Moderator
Dot matrix LED screen would be a far better alternative than a TV screen - which is of course chosen because of revenue generating possibilities offsetting installation costs.
AoD
AoD
Johnny Au
Senior Member
CP24 pays the TTC so much money to have their news (and advertising) on those screens. Ironically, I kept seeing Toyota commercials on it.
salsa
Senior Member
For the next TTC meeting, Karen Stintz has a motion proposing that management “report back in January on the relative costs and benefits of moving to a time based transfer policy and the best way to make such a change should it be adopted.”
nrb
Active Member
Wouldn't doing so decrease revenue for the TTC? Considering they're already struggling to fund current service levels with their fares, seems unlikely this would be a good idea without an increase in their subsidy. The number tossed around to implement it is $15 million. Stintz is basically saying, do more with less.
JasonParis
Moderator
Although, if it led to more people riding the system I suppose it could come-out revenue neutral.
M II A II R II K
Senior Member
TTC subway ‘guards’ on the edge of obsolescence
http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2013/12/19/ttc_subway_guards_on_the_edge_of_obsolescence.html
.....
Many of Toronto’s frontline transit workers are on the verge of a major job shift, now that a push to modernize the TTC is finally taking hold. A plan to begin testing single-operator subway trains next year marks the beginning of the end of the guard position. That’s the second operator, the one who pokes his or her head out to ensure that no one has been caught in a door before the subway moves on.
- Eliminating that job, which pays about $31 an hour, will be closely followed by a new role for subway collectors as the TTC begins a full-scale launch of the automated Presto fare card system. The collector position will be “re-engineered” into more mobile, direct customer-assistance roles, said TTC CEO Andy Byford.
- But there won’t be any layoffs on the TTC, Byford promised. Staff will be absorbed into other roles, and efficiencies will be achieved through attrition. All safety procedures and protocols will be developed in consultation with the union. --- “We’re not looking to have people lose their jobs, but jobs will change,” he stressed. Byford, who worked on the London Underground, plans to replace the subway guards with cameras on the platforms and monitors in the train cabs.
.....
http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2013/12/19/ttc_subway_guards_on_the_edge_of_obsolescence.html
.....
Many of Toronto’s frontline transit workers are on the verge of a major job shift, now that a push to modernize the TTC is finally taking hold. A plan to begin testing single-operator subway trains next year marks the beginning of the end of the guard position. That’s the second operator, the one who pokes his or her head out to ensure that no one has been caught in a door before the subway moves on.
- Eliminating that job, which pays about $31 an hour, will be closely followed by a new role for subway collectors as the TTC begins a full-scale launch of the automated Presto fare card system. The collector position will be “re-engineered” into more mobile, direct customer-assistance roles, said TTC CEO Andy Byford.
- But there won’t be any layoffs on the TTC, Byford promised. Staff will be absorbed into other roles, and efficiencies will be achieved through attrition. All safety procedures and protocols will be developed in consultation with the union. --- “We’re not looking to have people lose their jobs, but jobs will change,” he stressed. Byford, who worked on the London Underground, plans to replace the subway guards with cameras on the platforms and monitors in the train cabs.
.....
Electrify
Senior Member
The TTC is really talking out of both sides of their mouth on this issue. When pressed on the topic, for example when questioned why St. Clair enjoys this because of the "pilot project," they say it is coming with Presto. Yet other times, including a Town Hall meeting I attended in Scarborough over the summer, Brad Ross said they cannot afford the revenue loss with such a setup. Seeing as Presto is less than 12 months away, they really need to get their shit together about how transfers will work next year.
To control costs with a new setup I think what they should do is stop gouging on the cost of a monthly pass, even if it means that tokens/Presto increase dramatically. A Metropass will be $133.75 next year, so make a pre-purchased fare $3.35 but allow 2 hour transfers and return trips included with the price.
JasonParis
Moderator
Based in reality or not, this seems to be one of the things that keeps the perception of the TTC as being "wasteful" in the public mind. I think this should help correct that, at least a bit.
diminutive
Active Member
It is wasteful. Since the advent of CCTV there's been no reason to stick to two-man operation. We've seen literally decades of wasteful practices with these "guards."
Arguably there could be need for a second staff member on rush hour trains to provide assistance, but otherwise it's complete waste.
AlbertHWagstaff
Senior Member
Thanks to our brave politicians who never want to spend money on anything that doesn't involve them getting all the glory of cutting a ribbon for a new extension or new trains. Advanced fare collection, CCTV, ATO, all tested out by the TTC but the politicians always balked at spending money on these things. "The way it's done is good enough. We can't afford to spend money on frills like that". But dangle a shiny new subway extension in front of them and the billions start flowing. That's how we got to where we are today.
Guarding circa 1985. Photographer unknown. Originally posted in a Transit Forum in the US.
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rbt
Senior Member
Every time a train goes past a stop (happens at Rosedale regularly on icy days) we'll get to wait for the driver to go all the way to the other end in order to back up.
The use of the 2nd guard is limited but removing them will reduce capacity of the Yonge line by a bit. I expect we'll add half of them back at terminal stations to improve turnback times until trains are actually automated.
diminutive
Active Member
Or, you know, the driver in the front could simply reverse the train 2 feet... This is such a non-issue.
No it wont. There are many single operator railways with identical or higher frequency. You could simply swap drivers at the terminals. At the terminal Driver 1 would exit Train1. Meanwhile D0 would enter T1 and begin turning back. By the time D1 is in position, T2 will arrive and D1 can enter and start turning back T2 while T2 exits and begins repositioning....
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Wrenkin
Active Member
Not sure you're allowed to operate a train without looking where you're going. Also not sure that a reverse-facing camera is a safe substitute.