2457 replies to this topic

[Bus_Medic]

Shaun, on Jul 30 2011, 05:00 PM, said:

It would be more logical to differ the retirement of buses and Bustitute whenever possible, since the gap will only be in the short term. This would be because rebuilding a street car can take 6 months to a year, not to mention the need for a prototype rebuild which also takes time. Unless the order is cancelled.

And the extra funds to keep those geriatric buses roadworthy is coming from where now?

[D. DeLarge]

Bus_Medic, on Jul 30 2011, 10:57 PM, said:

And the extra funds to keep those geriatric buses roadworthy is coming from where now?

Not to mention the extra costs of staffing more of them vs less streetcars.

Here, lemme run it through my Rob Ford Calculator *punching in the numbers* yes, there is plenty of gravy that can be cut to pay for this. We can even borrow some money York Region was going to use for their BRT.

[torontottc7]

300-500 buses down Queen and King during Rush Hour should improve traffic flow according to Ford

[Prometheus]

Quote

300-500 buses down Queen and King during Rush Hour should improve traffic flow according to Ford

One never gets bored with this guy..

[skyfirenet]

torontottc7, on Jul 31 2011, 04:26 PM, said:

300-500 buses down Queen and King during Rush Hour should improve traffic flow according to Ford

One does have to wonder if anyone has pointed out to him that the only credible way to scale back the streetcar network is to abandon plans to extend the Sheppard line and to build at least one new subway line through the downtown core.

[zzw]

D. DeLarge, on Jul 29 2011, 08:58 PM, said:

Maybe the CLRV's will get rebuilt after all...

YAY! Give em a chance to age like the PCC's!

[Ed Treijs]

D40-90, on Jul 30 2011, 10:30 AM, said:

Where will TTC getthe buses to replace streetcars, permantly or temporarily. Are they going to keep some GMs, or lease buses. Whatever happens TTC will have to use buses no matter what. 501 has been using buses for the last 7 or so years now during the pm rush. Same with 506, but not everyday.

As of July 1 2011 any new or used transit vehicles acquired have to be accessible.

On the other hand, I can't see an Orion VII being able to handle the busy stops on King or Queen, where 20 people might get off, 20 get on, and another 60 stay on. Well, that might be 60, or 120, staying on an ALRV. Anyone showing up to Spadina and Queen in a VII is going to be told, "Mister, you need a bigger bus".

High-floors with double-stream rear doors just may be able to cope if supplied in sufficient quantity. Let's strip 39 Finch East of all its Orion Vs and put them on Queen. As long as we don't have to look behind the curtain, we won't have to wonder about things like

• What will service Finch instead? Oh, yeah, the Finch Transit City LRT line I guess....
  
• How long with the '96 Orion Vs last? I'd put my money on the CLRVs outliving them, although with the ARLVs one never knows
  
• Why is there a "V" in Orion V, Orion VII, CLRV, and ALRV? It's a PLOT!!!
  
• Where are all these 501 buses you speak of?

[torontottc7]

unless we can get bi-articulated double deckers, it probably won't work

[pc8556]

smallspy, on Jul 30 2011, 11:19 AM, said:

No they haven't. If you've seen any buses on either of those routes, those are single buses out providing gap-filling services. And to see them out there is pretty rare in any case.

Dan

Actually Dan, I live near Neville and it's not rare at all to see the buses out there. There is one QUEEN "Emergency" bus that I know of that trolls the route
and there is always, or more often that not, a couple more filling in near the beach area. Quite often they are seen lounging in the yard at Russell. Not sure why they are there? Usually a streetcar is following close behind. The "emergency' bus usually does Long Branch to Neville, but the other(s) do either Neville to Coxwell, Neville to Broadview, or Church, but usually just to Coxwell.
Never in in AM, always when the PM SAC cars are operating (fromNeville to the carhouse) from around noon to 700pm or so and I usually see them every weekday. Drivers love it, they usually piddle around for a bit and are then sent home, working 4-5 hours and getting paid for full day. I never cared enough to ask them what they are doing there, just appreciated the extra service.

[D40-90]

pc8556, on Aug 4 2011, 12:08 AM, said:

Actually Dan, I live near Neville and it's not rare at all to see the buses out there. There is one QUEEN "Emergency" bus that I know of that trolls the route
and there is always, or more often that not, a couple more filling in near the beach area. Quite often they are seen lounging in the yard at Russell. Not sure why they are there? Usually a streetcar is following close behind. The "emergency' bus usually does Long Branch to Neville, but the other(s) do either Neville to Coxwell, Neville to Broadview, or Church, but usually just to Coxwell.
Never in in AM, always when the PM SAC cars are operating (fromNeville to the carhouse) from around noon to 700pm or so and I usually see them every weekday. Drivers love it, they usually piddle around for a bit and are then sent home, working 4-5 hours and getting paid for full day. I never cared enough to ask them what they are doing there, just appreciated the extra service.

Most streetcars get short-turn at Kingston. So having buses run from Coxwell or Yonge to Neville is ok. Like I said there is always buses on 501 dring or just after the PM rush. Gap bus or whatever you want to call it. I remember 2070 and 2071 from Birchmount division were always on 501 everyday right up untill about the spring of 2005. Nowadays I see Eglinton helping out with buses.

[Ed Treijs]

pc8556, on Aug 3 2011, 11:08 PM, said:

Actually Dan, I live near Neville and it's not rare at all to see the buses out there. There is one QUEEN "Emergency" bus that I know of that trolls the route
and there is always, or more often that not, a couple more filling in near the beach area. Quite often they are seen lounging in the yard at Russell. Not sure why they are there? Usually a streetcar is following close behind. The "emergency' bus usually does Long Branch to Neville, but the other(s) do either Neville to Coxwell, Neville to Broadview, or Church, but usually just to Coxwell.
Never in in AM, always when the PM SAC cars are operating (fromNeville to the carhouse) from around noon to 700pm or so and I usually see them every weekday. Drivers love it, they usually piddle around for a bit and are then sent home, working 4-5 hours and getting paid for full day. I never cared enough to ask them what they are doing there, just appreciated the extra service.

The point is that these are gap buses. I use Darwin O'Connors Transee which gives vehicle numbers, and yes occasionally there's one bus showing up in the list of streetcars.

However, that's one bus, and it's mostly an east-end phenomenon. It's rare to never to have them going west of Roncesvalles never mind west of Humber--the buses can't use the railway/Gardiner underpass and therefore can't service Lake Shore stops between the loop and Park Lawn. (If all streetcar service is suspended on Lake Shore--as it is this morning--that's another matter. I hope the people waiting at the unserviced Lake Shore stops are told by someone!)

While this one gap bus exists, it's nowhere near comparable to trying to operate the entire route, entirely with buses. Especially Orion VIIs, which can't carry enough people and would take forever to unload and load at busy stops, which Queen has plenty of.

[2020]

So which Red Rocket got grilled yesterday evening?

http://toronto.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTV...=TorontoNewHome

[D40-90]

I went near it but didn't catch the number. It was an ALRV heading westbound one stop west of Greenwood.

[Ed Treijs]

I don't know if this goes here, or under "special sightings". Saw what appeared to be a fare inspector on the Queen car. First time in over five years of riding between Long Branch and downtown.

I say "appeared" to be an inspector because he basically looked like a fat old man in a cheap grey T-shirt and jeans. He asked a guy just ahead of me, who had just boarded at Yonge, whether he had a transfer or Metropass, and flashed something that looked like a star in a wallet. And then escorted the guy off the car. The only distinguishing feature was the large radio, of the kind that TTC route inspectors wear, at his belt.

It's nice to see fare inspection, but really, this approach seems to be more make-work than effective. Unless you were really close to the "inspection", you'd have no idea that it happened. And that takes away the deterrent effect of "I better not try it because I'll get caught". And pulling one guy off the Queen car every fifteen or twenty minutes at Queen and Yonge isn't going to make a whole lot of difference.

[rollsign29]

Ed Treijs, on Aug 12 2011, 12:52 PM, said:

I don't know if this goes here, or under "special sightings". Saw what appeared to be a fare inspector on the Queen car. First time in over five years of riding between Long Branch and downtown.

I say "appeared" to be an inspector because he basically looked like a fat old man in a cheap grey T-shirt and jeans. He asked a guy just ahead of me, who had just boarded at Yonge, whether he had a transfer or Metropass, and flashed something that looked like a star in a wallet. And then escorted the guy off the car. The only distinguishing feature was the large radio, of the kind that TTC route inspectors wear, at his belt.

It's nice to see fare inspection, but really, this approach seems to be more make-work than effective. Unless you were really close to the "inspection", you'd have no idea that it happened. And that takes away the deterrent effect of "I better not try it because I'll get caught". And pulling one guy off the Queen car every fifteen or twenty minutes at Queen and Yonge isn't going to make a whole lot of difference.

You too, eh? I saw my first yesterday (and I ply Queen quite often) and he did the same thing to two younger women. Mind you, he certainly wasn't a "fat old man" so that means we have at least 2 inspectors out there.

Still, it's good to see, but it needs to be seen more, and possibly in full uniform too.

[Ed Treijs]

Orion 7029, on Aug 18 2011, 05:29 PM, said:

You too, eh? I saw my first yesterday (and I ply Queen quite often) and he did the same thing to two younger women. Mind you, he certainly wasn't a "fat old man" so that means we have at least 2 inspectors out there.

Still, it's good to see, but it needs to be seen more, and possibly in full uniform too.

Yeah, saw another one Wednesday 1 PMish eastbound at University. This was a younger guy in checkered shorts, looking like a slacker dude. Started asking for transfers or passes, and about the third person he came to said "I got on a while ago". This was not true as I saw him get on at University, and the inspector did as well. So, "sir, please step off the car with me".

I got a bit better look at the badge but it still looked like something you could get at a higher-class pawn shop. I am quite surprised that people will obey these undercover type inspectors, rather than tellling them "I don't believe you are a real inspector". I guess we're authority-following Canadians or something.

Plus, the inspection stops as soon as the first miscreant is found and escorted off the car. On the Queen car downtown, this doesn't necessarily take very long. Though they seem to be escorting off people who look like they certainly could have paid. There would seem to be little reason to escort off the homeless and squeegee kids, because you won't collect any fines and they'll just get on the next streetcar after the inspector is gone. (So I don't really see that as foregone revenue.....they wouldn't have paid in any case. Although the streetcar would smell better without them.)

[Articulated]

4066 derailed at Spadina and College while making a turn around 10:40AM, closing the intersection. Announcements began on the subway around 11 (proclaiming a streetcar had "mechanical issues") and stating shuttle buses were in operation. More info available from the Toronto Star. Service seems to have been restored around 2:25.

[ADB]

Spotted a PCC (might have been 4500) eastbound on Queen near Victoria yesterday around 15:00 with passengers.

[Archer]

Ed Treijs, on Aug 19 2011, 12:06 PM, said:

I got a bit better look at the badge but it still looked like something you could get at a higher-class pawn shop. I am quite surprised that people will obey these undercover type inspectors, rather than tellling them "I don't believe you are a real inspector". I guess we're authority-following Canadians or something.

They'll also have employee passes on them, and I'm sure if people resist they'll realize how serious it is when the operator holds the streetcar until they're removed.

As for having them uniformed, that makes no sense... if you want to catch fare evaders, wearing a uniform just screams "Hey, I'm checking fares!". There's no money in just ensuring fares are paid... more money can be made by catching the evaders and fining them. Maybe a little deceptive, but people do know the rules.

[buschic]

they need these people at Kipling too, good lord! I see in a span of less than 20 minutes in the evenings up to 10 people walking or cycling up the bus driveway, or climbing through the fence on the edge of the layover areas, it pisses me off so bad to see this!