Thank you for the feed back. For whatever reason I assumed it went to the lowest bidder. I thought the city had a mandate that any procurement went to the lowest bidder when possible.
Well if it's been 30+ years since they done any feedback from the public, maybe it's time to reconnect with their customers and their core service. Obviously we're not expecting a custom made bus, but something that customers would like to have that's also feasible and within the scope of what bus manufacturers offer.
Another shocker is TTC not sharing info with surrounding transit agencies on bus specs and information regarding the EV buses. That was such a big deal to study EV, and for TTC to bring about a report. Yet they didn't bother sharing info with surrounding agencies. I just assumed that's what TTC did, even if it were through APTA. I'm actually surprised of the lack of information sharing. I'm sure if they worked together, they could possibly even share specs and order parts in bigger bulk. Possibly saving money?
I'm actually surprised with the way TTC has gone about this.
I do recall under Howard Moscow, he wanted more front facing seats in the upper rear section. And with the 1st Gen Orion 7s they actually made it possible. But when TTC got the 2nd generation Orions, they got rid of all front facing seats and instead changed the layout to perimeter seating. So that's probably why I assumed TTC did some kind of out reach to get feed back from passengers. But based on the response, the request for front facing seats appear to be a one off request , and not something TTC has as part of their procurement process.
Well, I guess it makes sense why customers are disappointed with the layout and ride quality of these Novas. I guess to go even further back down the supply chain, the bus manufacturers should also be doing some kind of feed back or a partnership with a transit agency to improve their product for customers.
The barriers appears to be an after thought As a result of safety in the work place. And clearly something that wasn't much thought during the design phase. An actual ergonomic issue that should be addressed during the procurement process. Or design phase of a bus model.
Obviously feedback won't address every issue, but you would think something so basic would be a no brainer as part of the process.
TTC appears to be more focused on engineering side, than the actual customer experience. Both are important, but the goal should geared towards the customer comfort and ease of travel.
Either way, good insight.
