TTC: Other Items (catch all)

[EastYorkTTCFan]

I think the biggest problem is people who have never been in the hospitality industry, customer service or public transit have an idea in their heads that they are more important because they are the customer all because one business decided to come up with the phrase "the customer is always right". That one phrase gets used very poorly as it has little to no context behind it and basically gives people the view that they can do anything they want because they are in the right because they are the customer and of you don't do what they ask them they need all of your information so that they can report you to management and have you fired.

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

I don't see a need at all for the general public to ever have the drivers operating number. People have this idea in their heads that they can report something and that they need a person's full name and other stuff, there is a good reason why customer service providers never give out their full names. All you need if you actually have a problem is an aprxmite time of day the bus or train car number and the route it was on an the TTC should be able to identify everything else from their. I think it's stupid of them to display the drivers operating number.

Full names is one thing, service number is another. The public doesn't necessarily need to know an operator's name, but I think it is reasonable for them to be able to identify a driver by their number.

I think the biggest problem is people who have never been in the hospitality industry, customer service or public transit have an idea in their heads that they are more important because they are the customer all because one business decided to come up with the phrase "the customer is always right". That one phrase gets used very poorly as it has little to no context behind it and basically gives people the view that they can do anything they want because they are in the right because they are the customer and of you don't do what they ask them they need all of your information so that they can report you to management and have you fired.

The customer is definitely NOT always right, but neither are operators/drivers - and the lord knows how varied the TTC crop can be. You are a public service, it is reasonable to expect a level of accountability consistent with such. Other sectors of the public service doesn't even necessarily have the luxury of being anonymized with a service number in their public facing roles.

AoD

 

[EastYorkTTCFan]

Full names is one thing, service number is another. The public doesn't necessarily need to know an operator's name, but I think it is reasonable for them to be able to identify a driver by their number.

I still don't see any reason for a customer to know what an employee number is. As I said before if you want to complain about something all you need is the vechele number route number and time of day that's what they always used to ask for.

The customer is definitely NOT always right, but neither are operators/drivers

I think it depends on the situation more than anything and no one should be expected to be right all of the time.

 

[Richard White]

Ha, my Dad said the exact same thing. He also refused to wear the blazers with badge numbers on them and Inspectors (as they were known back then) stopped bothering to ask him because he was so high up in the union list he would tell them to go fly a kite, in so many words...

My father did the exact same. He never wore a blazer and because he had so much seniority he pretty much had free reign with inspectors. He was known by name and reputation at the division so when he was given s*** or asked to do something idiotic he would tell the inspectors and CIS staff where to go with impunity.

When it came to the uniforms, he was not questioned because after so many years they knew he knew how to do his job.

 

[DSC]

My father did the exact same. He never wore a blazer and because he had so much seniority he pretty much had free reign with inspectors. He was known by name and reputation at the division so when he was given s*** or asked to do something idiotic he would tell the inspectors and CIS staff where to go with impunity.

When it came to the uniforms, he was not questioned because after so many years they knew he knew how to do his job.

I am sure TTC supervisors/managers often gave (and still give) what appear to be (and may be) idiotic instructions but the fact that senior union members appear (appeared?) from what both you and @FiendidhLibrarian say, to be able to do as they want would seem to explain, for example, the problem TTC has in running properly spaced service without bunching. There are also good reasons why organizations want to maintain a 'corporate look' and just because you are high up in the Union seniority should not exempt you from it.

 

[Richard White]

I am sure TTC supervisors/managers often gave (and still give) what appear to be (and may be) idiotic instructions but the fact that senior union members appear (appeared?) from what both you and @FiendidhLibrarian say, to be able to do as they want would seem to explain, for example, the problem TTC has in running properly spaced service without bunching. There are also good reasons why organizations want to maintain a 'corporate look' and just because you are high up in the Union seniority should not exempt you from it.

The problem was for a time (more recently) inspectors and supervisors were fresh to the TTC. They had little practical experience and promoted through the ranks completely.

This lead to more senior operators telling the inspectors and supervisors with only a few years on the job how to do theirs based on years of experience. For the most part this lead to alot of senior operators retiring, they did not want to be told how to do their job by someone who had no experience actually doing it.

.

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

The problem was for a time (more recently) inspectors and supervisors were fresh to the TTC. They had little practical experience and promoted through the ranks completely.

This lead to more senior operators telling the inspectors and supervisors with only a few years on the job how to do theirs based on years of experience. For the most part this lead to alot of senior operators retiring, they did not want to be told how to do their job by someone who had no experience actually doing it.

Operations is one thing, following dress code is another - and it has nothing about how to do the job.

AoD

 

[fiendishlibrarian]

To be fair, one of the reasons why many operators who drove during my Dad's tenure - during the 70's through to the early 90's - didn't wear their blazers was not only because of the badge number issue, it was because the blazers restricted their arm movements in an era when the pre-rebuild Fishbowls and trolley buses (both of whom he drove) did not have power steering, only rack and pinion. Not wearing the blazers allowed them to turn the buses much more easily than with them on, hence why you really only saw subway and streetcar operators wear them during that era.

 

[Richard White]

To be fair, one of the reasons why many operators who drove during my Dad's tenure - during the 70's through to the early 90's - didn't wear their blazers was not only because of the badge number issue, it was because the blazers restricted their arm movements in an era when the pre-rebuild Fishbowls and trolley buses (both of whom he drove) did not have power steering, only rack and pinion. Not wearing the blazers allowed them to turn the buses much more easily than with them on, hence why you really only saw subway and streetcar operators wear them during that era.

That was like my father. He started in 88 and never had power steering to start off with.

He also didn't want to wear the blazer when he needed to manhandle someone off the bus for doing drugs or threatening him. Apparently it was restrictive

 

[smallspy]

The problem was for a time (more recently) inspectors and supervisors were fresh to the TTC. They had little practical experience and promoted through the ranks completely.

For the record....the rule has always been that you must have at least 2 years of driving experience and no at-fault incidents to be considered for a promotion to supervisor.

There have always been some operators that looked to jump to supervisor as soon as possible as it is considered "management" and not within the drivers union. And yet, there are others that despite being considered good management material would rather not make the leap for any number of different reasons.

Dan

 

[kotsy]

I took a few dozen photos of all the streetcar track replacement work happening at Queen, King & Roncesvalles Ave.

https://urbantoronto.ca/forum/threads/queen-king-roncesvalles-streetcar-track-replacement.32378/

 

[drum118]

TTC introduces onboard public Wi-Fi on the 35 Jane bus route

May 31, 2021

Beginning today, TTC customers travelling on the 35 Jane bus route will have access to free onboard public Wi-Fi. The program will expand to include the 102 Markham Road route in June.

Mayor John Tory and City Councillor Jennifer McKelvie joined TTC CEO Rick Leary for a sneak peek of the new service at the TTC's Mount Dennis Garage over the weekend. Video footage of the tour can be viewed on the Official TTC YouTube Channel at https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3Dl_TpPVBsliA&data=04%7C01%7C%7Cafe4299204b24dd518e308d9241ad44b%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637580519905327735%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=qkt7fRSAUK8xrS5e4wkOQpkq2R%2FDU4ACnAUAmip%2BhcI%3D&reserved=0

"Adding Wi-Fi on these bus routes is all part of our continued work to modernize and upgrade our transit system and to keep improving the ride for transit users. These routes were specifically picked for the pilot in an effort to bring Wi-Fi to underserved areas in our city. The pandemic has further demonstrated the importance of having access to the Internet and how it can make the lives of residents easier - adding it to our TTC buses is one way for our city to remove any barriers to equitable Internet access. I look forward to hearing from riders about their experience having access to free Wi-Fi on these routes and seeing the results of this pilot," said Mayor John Tory.

"Introducing Wi-Fi on these TTC bus routes is an important step forward. This pilot program exemplifies the forward-thinking, innovative work underway at the TTC to modernize our transit system and improve service for our riders," said TTC Chair Jaye Robinson.

The initiative is part of a larger City of Toronto program aimed at prioritizing and providing Wi-Fi access to Neighbourhood Improvement Areas (NIAs) in the city. The 35 Jane and 102 Markham Road routes were chosen due to their popularity and location in key NIAs.

"Reliable Internet access is essential," said TTC CEO Rick Leary. "During this pandemic, we've seen so many jobs, learning resources and support initiatives go digital. With this new program, we can eventually provide our customers with consistent Internet access across TTC vehicles."

This is the first phase of a six-month pilot project that will allow the TTC to evaluate a variety of Wi-Fi service models and gather customer feedback. The learnings from the pilot will help to inform the Request for Proposal for a Fully-Managed Customer Wi-Fi Network on Buses and Streetcars, to be issued later this year.

Wi-Fi-enabled buses feature decals informing customers that onboard access is available. Customers will be required to log-in and accept the terms of service to access the Internet and browse the web, check e-mails, social media, or other low-bandwidth activities. During the pilot, activities that require a continuous high bandwidth connection, such as streaming movies or downloading large files, will not be supported.

Customers may also notice Wi-Fi-enabled buses on other routes during the pilot. Customers are encouraged to take advantage of this 'Easter Egg' and use the onboard Wi-Fi whenever available.

The TTC encourages customers to share their feedback or questions with the Customer Service team, either by phone, or by competing this form https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ttc.ca%2Ffeedback%2FotherSuggestion.action&data=04%7C01%7C%7Cafe4299204b24dd518e308d9241ad44b%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637580519905337693%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=lboCVpa1CPPhOzYsTqF3xYOfI0w81cPCKM2B93mie4w%3D&reserved=0 on the TTC's website.
Free internet access has been available in all TTC subway stations since 2018.

 

[EastYorkTTCFan]

TTC introduces onboard public Wi-Fi on the 35 Jane bus route

May 31, 2021

Beginning today, TTC customers travelling on the 35 Jane bus route will have access to free onboard public Wi-Fi. The program will expand to include the 102 Markham Road route in June.

Mayor John Tory and City Councillor Jennifer McKelvie joined TTC CEO Rick Leary for a sneak peek of the new service at the TTC's Mount Dennis Garage over the weekend. Video footage of the tour can be viewed on the Official TTC YouTube Channel at https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3Dl_TpPVBsliA&data=04%7C01%7C%7Cafe4299204b24dd518e308d9241ad44b%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637580519905327735%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=qkt7fRSAUK8xrS5e4wkOQpkq2R%2FDU4ACnAUAmip%2BhcI%3D&reserved=0

"Adding Wi-Fi on these bus routes is all part of our continued work to modernize and upgrade our transit system and to keep improving the ride for transit users. These routes were specifically picked for the pilot in an effort to bring Wi-Fi to underserved areas in our city. The pandemic has further demonstrated the importance of having access to the Internet and how it can make the lives of residents easier - adding it to our TTC buses is one way for our city to remove any barriers to equitable Internet access. I look forward to hearing from riders about their experience having access to free Wi-Fi on these routes and seeing the results of this pilot," said Mayor John Tory.

"Introducing Wi-Fi on these TTC bus routes is an important step forward. This pilot program exemplifies the forward-thinking, innovative work underway at the TTC to modernize our transit system and improve service for our riders," said TTC Chair Jaye Robinson.

The initiative is part of a larger City of Toronto program aimed at prioritizing and providing Wi-Fi access to Neighbourhood Improvement Areas (NIAs) in the city. The 35 Jane and 102 Markham Road routes were chosen due to their popularity and location in key NIAs.

"Reliable Internet access is essential," said TTC CEO Rick Leary. "During this pandemic, we've seen so many jobs, learning resources and support initiatives go digital. With this new program, we can eventually provide our customers with consistent Internet access across TTC vehicles."

This is the first phase of a six-month pilot project that will allow the TTC to evaluate a variety of Wi-Fi service models and gather customer feedback. The learnings from the pilot will help to inform the Request for Proposal for a Fully-Managed Customer Wi-Fi Network on Buses and Streetcars, to be issued later this year.

Wi-Fi-enabled buses feature decals informing customers that onboard access is available. Customers will be required to log-in and accept the terms of service to access the Internet and browse the web, check e-mails, social media, or other low-bandwidth activities. During the pilot, activities that require a continuous high bandwidth connection, such as streaming movies or downloading large files, will not be supported.

Customers may also notice Wi-Fi-enabled buses on other routes during the pilot. Customers are encouraged to take advantage of this 'Easter Egg' and use the onboard Wi-Fi whenever available.

The TTC encourages customers to share their feedback or questions with the Customer Service team, either by phone, or by competing this form https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ttc.ca%2Ffeedback%2FotherSuggestion.action&data=04%7C01%7C%7Cafe4299204b24dd518e308d9241ad44b%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637580519905337693%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=lboCVpa1CPPhOzYsTqF3xYOfI0w81cPCKM2B93mie4w%3D&reserved=0 on the TTC's website.
Free internet access has been available in all TTC subway stations since 2018.

Testing on only two routes sounds really silly to actually make people want to use it there should be more.

 

[DSC]

Testing on only two routes sounds really silly to actually make people want to use it there should be more.

Testing is always a good idea; I bet that if the TTC had announced 100% of vehicles had wi-fi people on UT would have been complaining it should have been tested and if they had put it on only a few vehicles and NOT announced it we would have all been moaning about that too. The real test will be that IF it works will it be rolled out to all surface vehicles fast and if they have problems will the system be tweaked.

 

[EastYorkTTCFan]

Testing is always a good idea; I bet that if the TTC had announced 100% of vehicles had wi-fi people on UT would have been complaining it should have been tested and if they had put it on only a few vehicles and NOT announced it we would have all been moaning about that too. The real test will be that IF it works will it be rolled out to all surface vehicles fast and if they have problems will the system be tweaked.

I'm not saying that they shouldn't test it but two very random routes doesn't really say much. If they say picked 10 or 20 I think it would make more sense.