GRT News

I was talking to one of the bus drivers about the potential strike today and he said it was about wages and benefits. Apparently GRT doesn't pay its drivers as much as they do in other commissions and haven't been giving raises lately. Some of these commissions, such as London Transit, also have a lower cost of living than Waterloo Region, which has seen housing prices skyrocket in recent years.

He was also talking about how the Region has spent a lot of money improving GRT service and maintenance facilities. So for this reason, he finds it odd that they can't spare a little money for the drivers. I have to agree with him on that one. After all, we wouldn't even have bus service if it wasn't for them. And considering housing prices are rising faster here than most other places in Ontario, it seems fair for bus drivers to see their wage raised.

I should also add that the iXpress was REALLY packed today. I think the driver even had to refuse some people because they couldn't fit. This is becoming the norm now at rush hour, where we still only have 15 minute frequencies. And last night, the bus was still pretty close to full seats for most of the ride when I got on at 9:14pm. So this tells me we could probably use 5 minute frequencies at rush hours, 15 minutes in between, and an extension of service into the late hours with 30 minute frequencies.

[GreatTallNorth2]

It's great to see service in Ontario's small cities growing. Keep it up GRT!

[waterloowarrior]

Originally Posted by Cambridgite

I should also add that the iXpress was REALLY packed today. I think the driver even had to refuse some people because they couldn't fit. This is becoming the norm now at rush hour, where we still only have 15 minute frequencies. And last night, the bus was still pretty close to full seats for most of the ride when I got on at 9:14pm. So this tells me we could probably use 5 minute frequencies at rush hours, 15 minutes in between, and an extension of service into the late hours with 30 minute frequencies.

my bus this morning was packed as well (at McCormick), but that was probably because the 8:46 bus never came and the next one arrived 5-10 minutes late looking forward to increased frequency though, there's always a large crowd waiting at UW

[kitchener-lrt]

Originally Posted by Cambridgite

I should also add that the iXpress was REALLY packed today. I think the driver even had to refuse some people because they couldn't fit. This is becoming the norm now at rush hour, where we still only have 15 minute frequencies. And last night, the bus was still pretty close to full seats for most of the ride when I got on at 9:14pm. So this tells me we could probably use 5 minute frequencies at rush hours, 15 minutes in between, and an extension of service into the late hours with 30 minute frequencies.

That's really good news. As much as we'd like to see 5 minute frequencies during rush hour, we're going to get 15 minute frequencies during the day first. I hope that late hours should be extended to 30 minutes, but we really need to improve hours when many people are travelling.

Originally Posted by GreatTallNorth2

It's great to see service in Ontario's small cities growing. Keep it up GRT!

I've gotta tell you, the best part of living in a small city is rapid transit . You know us small cities, always thinking and planning big! Hey, why don't you guys in BIG london start planning a RT line? Surely, a HUGE city like london would warrant such a line...right?

Originally Posted by waterloowarrior

my bus this morning was packed as well (at McCormick), but that was probably because the 8:46 bus never came and the next one arrived 5-10 minutes late looking forward to increased frequency though, there's always a large crowd waiting at UW

[WaterlooInvestor]

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[waterloowarrior]

hopefully no strike tomorrow... thankfully I have access to a car so I can still make it to work, but many people don't have that option.

February 13, 2008
9:30 p.m.

Negotiations Continue

Waterloo Region – Discussions are continuing between the Region of Waterloo and Canadian Auto Workers (CAW) Union Local 4304 (Grand River Transit/MobilityPLUS, operators, dispatchers, fleet mechanics and service attendants). The CAW will legally be in a position to strike as early as 12:01 a.m. the morning of February 14, 2008. Should there be a strike, conventional bus and specialized transit services in Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge and North Dumfries will be disrupted.

The parties are meeting on a face-to-face basis and negotiations are planned to continue. The parties have mutually agreed to a media blackout which will be in effect until further notice. No further updates are expected at this time.

For information on the status of transit services visit www.grt.ca or call the GRT Information Line at 519-585-7555, TTY: 519-585-7796.

Looks like I'm driving tomorrow...

[jeicow]

Hopefully they'll hold out until Saturday after 4pm so I can catch the Greyhound back w/o any problems. After that- go nuts The real question will be whether UW and WLU students get partial refunds (like Metropass holders did during the TTC's wildcat strike).

[WaterlooInvestor]

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[kitchener-lrt]

Originally Posted by WaterlooInvestor

In regard to the proposed swipe card system, originally positioned as a potential replacement to the simple but vulnerable flashing of the WatCard as a means of entry, an upgrade is still in the works. "At this point, it’s still uncertain whether we will continue the current procedure, implement a swipe card system, or implement other possibilities," said Royal.

I can't wait for this! It's about time our fare system gets modified.

Originally Posted by WaterlooInvestor

For students still at a loss to effectively navigate the available route maps and schedules, expect a GRT interactive trip planner to be available online soon.

We've all heard and seen the words "GRT Online trip planner", and "coming soon" in the same sentence now for about 2.5 years!

Originally Posted by WaterlooInvestor

"The system is currently in testing," said Beniston, "but will be rolling out this winter." Expect it to be similar to the system used by the City of Brampton.

Brampton's online trip planner is pretty good, with a fair amount of detail and maps, unline Ottawa's .

Originally Posted by WaterlooInvestor

http://grt.ca/web/transit.nsf/$All/C0027D8A26AFA603852573EF00235BBD?OpenDocument

February 14, 2008
1:00 a.m.

Region of Waterloo and CAW Local 4304 reach tentative agreement

Waterloo Region - A tentative agreement has been reached between the Region of Waterloo and Canadian Auto Workers (CAW) Union Local 4304, Grand River Transit/MobilityPLUS, operators, dispatchers, fleet mechanics and service attendants. Ratification dates have yet to be set.

Having reached this agreement, all services will continue as scheduled.

-30-

For more information please contact:

Bryan Stortz, Director, Corporate Communications, 519-575-4408

C'mon people, we all saw this coming . Strikes are always avoided at the last minute, literally.

[WaterlooInvestor]

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[WaterlooInvestor]

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[kitchener-lrt]

Report on the success of the UPASS programs at the University of Waterloo and Wilfred Laurier University, also note that the report discusses the possibility of implementing the Presto Smart Card System on GRT in the years to come!!

(info courtesy from GGHT-CPTDB)
http://www.region.waterloo.on.ca/web...df?openelement

[kitchener-lrt]

My post is now edited. The link is working .

[WaterlooInvestor]

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[kitchener-lrt]

^ That's a good sign. Can you explain the "average" though?

That's not even that bad though. Today, coming back at 4pm, I was standing up, crunched in with a whole load of other people standing up. I couldn't sit down until we got to Fairview. And that is a pretty average experience for me. I've seen the bus as crowded in that picture at the 9:14pm departure from UW. There have even been some occurences in peak time where the iXpress will literally refuse to let people on because it's unsafe. All of this tells me we could be having peak frequencies of 5 minutes, like they do in real cities.

By the way, did anyone look at you funny after you took that picture? I'm always self-conscious about taking random photos like that.

[rapid_business]

It would be good if GRT released numbers for daily ridership on the iXpress... like every other city does with their mass-transit or BRT lines.

[kitchener-lrt]

Originally Posted by Cambridgite

That's not even that bad though. Today, coming back at 4pm, I was standing up, crunched in with a whole load of other people standing up. I couldn't sit down until we got to Fairview. And that is a pretty average experience for me. I've seen the bus as crowded in that picture at the 9:14pm departure from UW. There have even been some occurences in peak time where the iXpress will literally refuse to let people on because it's unsafe. All of this tells me we could be having peak frequencies of 5 minutes, like they do in real cities.

Nice. We'll see 15 minute midday frequencies starting in the fall.

Originally Posted by Cambridgite

By the way, did anyone look at you funny after you took that picture? I'm always self-conscious about taking random photos like that

I was wondering the same thing.

Originally Posted by onishenko

It would be good if GRT released numbers for daily ridership on the iXpress... like every other city does with their mass-transit or BRT lines.

Yes please.