jcam
Active Member
City Planning is indeed involved in the report, but City Finance is driving it. And yes, should be presented shortly.
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TTC: Other Items (catch all)
- Thread starter drum118
- Start date
TransitBart
Senior Member
EastYorkTTCFan
Senior Member
They've been rolling them out over the past couple of years. They started with the stations and most major streets but I think the goal is eventually having them at all stop. I wonder if once the crosstown opens they will add wifi to all of them as well.
mdrejhon
Senior Member
Or even Presto directly in the Apple Wallet. Smartphone behaves as a Presto card. Instant wireless reload, too!
...Or alternatively, even using an official Presto app to reload a Presto card pressed against the back of an iPhone/Android device! Using the phone as a Presto reload machine.
TransitBart
Senior Member
Because then the city's politicians would be taking responsibility for resolving something that is clearly in their domain which they have shirked for decades. The city's politicians can raise taxes and be responsible for spending the money on improving transit. They were not elected to perform the David Miller "whine" about downloading and unfairness. They may even find that if they get their act together and prepare to take the heat, that the province and federal government might take them more seriously when they ask for help. At the moment, the city has a government that behaves in a very infantile fashion - all city councillers simply hope some other government will rain money on the city and they won't have to do the heavy lifting of raising taxes and explaining it to voters.
Amare
Senior Member
We havent fully arrived in the 21st century; half the time they're not even accurate. If you've ever seen the bus stop time displays at Pearson Airport (inside Terminal 1) those things are truly in the 21st century
Megaton327
Senior Member
I feel like it's 10 years too late, though--now I have my smartphone with a TTC tracking app, and I find it much more accurate to see the vehicle's location than an ETA, given my understanding of traffic conditions etc. vs an automated system's. And it takes just a few seconds for me to pull out my phone and see where the next streetcar is...in fact usually I've done it before arriving at the stop. Certainly not a bad thing to have, as I know some people don't have smartphones and we have visitors who might not have an appropriate app/data plan, but for most regular commuters it's a bit of an anachronism.
Apple Pay is supposed to roll out support for that very soon--I would predict an announcement at Apple's developer conference in June where they announce new versions of iOS, followed by a rollout this fall with the new iPhones.
However, I'm much more concerned about Presto supporting it than Apple...Android has supported this for years and Presto hasn't given any indication that they plan to support it any time soon. When they don't even have a mobile site or an app to merely check your balance, it seems a bit doubtful that they'll suddenly have NFC support with instant reload...but I certainly hope that they eventually bring that out. And I hadn't even considered the instant reload aspect...that'll put an end to about 99% of the complaints they receive if you go by their twitter account
cplchanb
Senior Member
I feel like it's 10 years too late, though--now I have my smartphone with a TTC tracking app, and I find it much more accurate to see the vehicle's location than an ETA, given my understanding of traffic conditions etc. vs an automated system's. And it takes just a few seconds for me to pull out my phone and see where the next streetcar is...in fact usually I've done it before arriving at the stop. Certainly not a bad thing to have, as I know some people don't have smartphones and we have visitors who might not have an appropriate app/data plan, but for most regular commuters it's a bit of an anachronism.
Apple Pay is supposed to roll out support for that very soon--I would predict an announcement at Apple's developer conference in June where they announce new versions of iOS, followed by a rollout this fall with the new iPhones.
However, I'm much more concerned about Presto supporting it than Apple...Android has supported this for years and Presto hasn't given any indication that they plan to support it any time soon. When they don't even have a mobile site or an app to merely check your balance, it seems a bit doubtful that they'll suddenly have NFC support with instant reload...but I certainly hope that they eventually bring that out. And I hadn't even considered the instant reload aspect...that'll put an end to about 99% of the complaints they receive if you go by their twitter account
on that note, has there been anything equivalent from Android? It seems like Presto is only catering to the fruit phone and leaving out the other 60%+ of the potential customer base.
Megaton327
Senior Member
How so? Presto has announced no support of any kind (website, app, Apple Pay/NFC) for either Apple or Android.
EDIT: actually upon another reading my prior post may have been unclear, apologies if that's the case. When I said "Apple Pay is supposed to roll out support for that very soon" I mean that you can't currently put NFC rewards/transit/etc. cards into Apple Pay, they exclusively support credit and debit cards; they've said that other tap cards are coming soon--that's the support I'm referring to. For this to happen, 1) Apple needs to support non-credit/debit NFC cards (Android already does this part), and 2) Presto needs to support smartphone payment.
EastYorkTTCFan
Senior Member
I think it's called Android pay but it's not available in Canada yet
Steve X
Senior Member
20 years ago, people were tapping smart cards and 5 years ago they are tapping NFC phones. Today we are starting smart cards with no ability to load it onto a phone. At least credit cards figure that part out now.
How backwards.
How backwards.
cplchanb
Senior Member
Couldn't be more true
Napoleon
Active Member
So I'm kind of amazed at the sheer volume of streetcar mess in the downtown this summer:
- The 501 Queen is diverting from May to October from Shaw to Spadina
- The 506 has a whole assortment of complicated replacements and bus diversions form June to September.
- The 512 is replaced with buses from mid-June to September
- The 505 had the water main work that prevents it going to Dundas West Station extended to June 20.
- The 511 and 509 are both stopping short of Exhibition Loop.
Megaton327
Senior Member
While I generally agree with you, two things about the 511/509 exhibition closure that, in my opinion, make it virtually a non-issue: 1) in July/August during the CNE that closure will temporarily be ended and full service will resume Bathurst-Exhibition and Union-Exhibition with streetcars the whole way. 2) Outside of the CNE, demand on the 509/511 between Bastion St and CNE loop is virtually nonexistent; while it's heavy during TFC games, many of those attendees drive or use GO; additionally, according to Google Maps from Bastion St it's a 7 minute walk into the CNE (DEC being the nearest building), and 12-13 to the CNE streetcar loop.
However, as a counterpoint to my defense of 509/511, you actually missed something: the 511 Bathurst is being 100% replaced by buses along the entire Bathurst-Exhibition route for the duration of the College and Bathurst intersection reconstruction--however that should only be a few weeks, not the multi-month June-September bus replacement of the 506.
Napoleon
Active Member
You're right that it's not that big of a deal to short turn prior to the CNE loop. I think I was more just astonished by the shear level of construction going on on streetcar lines. It's going to be confusing...the 506 replacement also seems to have a rather complicated and changing set of replacements, so that might be the worse.
I also find that detours involving the King or Queen car onto the other street via Spadina have a very heavy impact on travel times for all 3 lines. Spadina often suffers from severe bunching, so I find this greatly exacerbates it!