TTC: Next Bus/Streetcar Arrival System

[nfitz]

"St.Clair, Main, Broadview,Bathurst & Dundas W"

Any sign of these yet? I was in Bathurst station last night, and walked around a bit and couldn't see any sign of screens (though I didn't go all the way outside to the end of the platform).

 

[BentTent]

The screens at Main have been turned on, but as of yesterday they still aren't showing any schedules or times on them yet.

 

[DSC]

The online version( http://www.nextbus.com/ ) is still restricted to the 509 and 510 streetcars. I doubt the in-station displays will be activated before the web version is fully functioning. Yet another example of a TTC project that drags on for YEARS.

 

[ShonTron]

The screens are showing the time, but not vehicle information, at the streetcar stops at Dundas West.

 

[nfitz]

And it doesn't take you long to figure out why they might not want this available:

501- Queen schedule
Direction: Westbound
Stop: Queen St E At Elmer
Destination: Queen St E At Woodbine Ave

Next vehicles for route 501- Queen in:
19 minutes
21 minutes
23 minutes

506 - Carlton schedule
Direction: Westbound
Stop: Gerrard At Broadview
Destination: Gerrard At St Mathews

This system is currently in Beta testing


Next vehicles for route 506 - Carlton in:
25 minutes
26 minutes
27 minutes

 

[nfitz]

It's back again. 501, 504, 505, 506, 508, 511, and 512 added to 509 and 510 - http://www.nextbus.com/predictor/stopSelector.jsp?a=ttc

And it doesn't take you long to figure out why they might not want this available:

501- Queen schedule
Direction: Westbound
Stop: Queen St E At Elmer
Destination: Queen St E At Woodbine Ave

Next vehicles for route 501- Queen in:
19 minutes
21 minutes
23 minutes

506 - Carlton schedule
Direction: Westbound
Stop: Gerrard At Broadview
Destination: Gerrard At St Mathews

Next vehicles for route 506 - Carlton in:
25 minutes
26 minutes
27 minutes

Still, it will be nice to no when this is happening. And I'll find it very useful tonight, taking the 506 to Danforth Station to catch a GO Train. Nothing worse than waiting for a streetcar that will not get you there in time.

 

[GraphicMatt]

St Clair seems to be running well today - couldn't find a wait longer than five minutes. Not bad at all. Spadina & Bathrust are doing okay.

East-West routes remain pretty bad, though. Dundas is apparently bunching like crazy right now:

 

[DSC]

Still no MAPS but maybe they too will return.....

 

[taal]

Sorry but having taken some of those routes in person over the last week, those times just look plain wrong ... 30min for Queen / Collage during rush hour??

I wouldn't be surprised if it's not picking up all the cars.


btw ... if you have time on your hand, take a look at the nextBus data for other streetcar routes throughout North America, I looked at San Francisco and a few others ... and what did I notice? To my shock and aw, just as much bunching as we see on our streetcar lines ... if not more in some places!

 

[nfitz]

... 30min for Queen / Collage during rush hour??

I wouldn't be surprised if it's not picking up all the cars.

20-minute waits aren't unheard of in rush-hour. A bit more unusual in evenings and weekends. But it might be missing a car here and there ... though I didn't notice any missing while out and about this evening.

Wow, this is great ... I leave the house a couple of minutes before the streetcar is due, and it shows up like clockwork. Later on I was on the Bathurst car, and checked the College car to see if it would be a convenient transfer ... and it was only a 3-minute wait, so I took it back to Coxwelll instead of what I usually do and take the BD subway (because it's more reliable); didn't save any time, but less walking.

I could learn to like this! No more waiting 20 minutes for a streetcar at College station, and kicking myself for not taking the subway instead!

 

[Ed Drass]

Broadview launch

"Toronto Mayor David Miller and TTC Chair Adam Giambrone will officially launch the expansion of the Next Vehicle Arrival system to include information signs at streetcar transit shelters and additional LCD screens at subway stations. A photo op will take place Thursday, April 29 at Broadview Station, streetcar level. A key component of this system involves the use of solar energy."

Crossing fingers that this choice of location spurred the construction/engineering folks to re-open the "east" stairways to platform level. Parts of this recently renovated station have been blocked off for months...

 

[GraphicMatt]

The iPhone view of this at http://www.nextbus.com/webkit is REALLY great. It automatically gets your location and gives you details on all nearby streetcar stops. Great for when you're trying to decide between the Queen and the King.

It'd also be trivially easy for bars and cofee shops along streetcar routes to mount an LCD monitor with this information on it - they'd just need a computer with an internet connection. Hopefully we see that happen.

 

[CDL.TO]

The iPhone view of this at http://www.nextbus.com/webkit is REALLY great. It automatically gets your location and gives you details on all nearby streetcar stops. Great for when you're trying to decide between the Queen and the King.

That's really cool. I never would have looked into it since I don't have an iPhone.

 

[grey]

The iPhone view of this at http://www.nextbus.com/webkit is REALLY great. It automatically gets your location and gives you details on all nearby streetcar stops. Great for when you're trying to decide between the Queen and the King.

It'd also be trivially easy for bars and cofee shops along streetcar routes to mount an LCD monitor with this information on it - they'd just need a computer with an internet connection. Hopefully we see that happen.

Thanks! I didn't know about this. This is incredibly useful.

 

[Jimbits]

The iPhone view of this at http://www.nextbus.com/webkit is REALLY great. It automatically gets your location and gives you details on all nearby streetcar stops. Great for when you're trying to decide between the Queen and the King.

It'd also be trivially easy for bars and cofee shops along streetcar routes to mount an LCD monitor with this information on it - they'd just need a computer with an internet connection. Hopefully we see that happen.

Hey GraphicMatt, great find!

The bad part is that I don't have an iPhone, but I get Internet access on my phone. I thought that it was unfortunate that the rest of us mobile phone users would be left in the dark.

Luckily, that NextBus site has a workaround. If I set my phone to go to http://www.nextbus.com/webkit/selectRoute.jsp?a=ttc , it gets a rather mundane interface that actually works quite well. You all should try it on your browsers, mobile or not, and see how it looks. I can bookmark a stop on my phone, for example, the 501 stop by Old City Hall: http://www.nextbus.com/webkit/predsForStop.jsp?a=ttc&r=501&d=501_westbound&s=queebay_w