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GRT Automated Announcements


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I was just on 2713 which had the system installed. Problem is, it didn't seem to be working :P The driver's console display was showing the route name and the upcoming stops but nothing was being displayed on the sign and no announcements were heard.

A lot of them are like that! We'll see if they get them fixed before September. My money rides on "NO".

They also need to correct a lot of "errors" in the announcing .......................... "Charles" "S" "T" Terminal"! :P

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A lot of them are like that! We'll see if they get them fixed before September. My money rides on "NO".

They also need to correct a lot of "errors" in the announcing .......................... "Charles" "S" "T" Terminal"! :lol:

They should just take out the "ST." in Charels St Terminal and make it "Charels Terminal" or "Downtown Terminal" :rolleyes:

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Have there been any attempts to improve the speed of the system? Sometimes, you're just passing a stop when the INIT announces it. Hope to get this fixed for September.

From what I've been told by the planners the INIT system has programmed into it a 40m transitional zone in the vicinity of each bus stop, I'm making an educated guess and assuming this is so if the bus doesn't actually stop right at the bus stop (eg. the driver didn't hear the bell and stopped some distance after the stop because the customer's start screaming "you missed my stop" or something :rolleyes: ) it will still count the boarding/alighting of people by the APC and assign those counts to the proper bus stop. The problem is that the bus passes a stop, then there's still 40m to go before the switch-over in the system to the next stop and after that there's the delay before the stop call-out is processed by the text-to-speech software then actually called-out over the P/A. The planners have told me they are working with INIT to reduce the size of the transitional zone (to what, I do not know) so the process is sped up a little bit, but I think in the long run that some of the really close-together stops themselves should be moved further apart.

The planners had their meeting with INIT only recently, and I will be updated with some of the results come the committee meeting this coming Tuesday, if I have any answers I can give I will post an update.

They also need to correct a lot of "errors" in the announcing .......................... "Charles" "S" "T" Terminal"! :lol:

Many of the abreviations are calling out incorectly, and they are working on fixing them. Many have been corrected in the system, but the updates haven't yet been downloaded to the buses. My favourite one to date is Laurelwood AT Beaver Crk. Cr....

"NEXT STOP - LAURELWOOD - AT - BEAVER C-R-K-C-R"

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Well, after learning of another operator atrocity against the INIT system yesterday, I needed to vent...so sue me!

Good rant! I would hope that as INIT becomes standard on the bus fleet, that adherence to proper usage would start getting enforced -- that means this year. It's unfortunate that some drivers are sabotaging the system, as that makes the stop announcement system seem unprofessional to the rider and it makes it harder to work out the kinks in INIT.

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Good rant! I would hope that as INIT becomes standard on the bus fleet, that adherence to proper usage would start getting enforced -- that means this year. It's unfortunate that some drivers are sabotaging the system, as that makes the stop announcement system seem unprofessional to the rider and it makes it harder to work out the kinks in INIT.

Absolutly Fantastic! Like I told you before the right man got the job. I'm behind you 100% with this and I've been voicing my opinions as well with these

"so- called" professionals. I hope they all learn how to grow up and act like thier pay-cheques say they should.

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hey everybody 2200 has GPS now the voice is not working yet

There are a lot with the "voice" not working! Seems that they are in such a rush to try and get these installed in all the buses by September that no one is really checking anything after to see if everything really works, as it should. Just "put in it", and "ship it out the door" ...................... we can "repair it later". Why does that logic seem so familiar to me? Oh ya! This is GRT! :)

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I was on 2418 this morning taking the 7D from Laurier to U Waterloo. Obviously the system has been on there for a while but it seems to have been malfunctioning. After the bus departed from Laurier it announced "Next stop: University at King" when it just left there! I was like what? :P I guess the driver noticed it too because it looks like he just shut it off right after.

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My biggest problem with these automated announcements is how soft spoken GReTa is. Usually, you can barely hear the announcements. They really need to get a voice like they have on the TTC buses/streetcars.

GReTa for the most part is at the same volumn on most buses. The problem is the driver having the wrong setting for the vomumn control or there is too much abiant noise.

I am hoping that once everything is up and running the monitoring supervisors will start calling the drivers and "reminding" them of the obligation to turn GReTa.

I personally love the system and can't wait for all of the kinks to be ironed out .

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I was on 8021 route 12 this evening and the display said "Out of Service". I glanced at the driver's console and it said "Unknown Route Position"... on the return trip I had 2610... and... exact same situation. Hmm....

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This morning I was on 2702 (7D UW via University), looked up at the display and at first *thought* it was working but then realized it was showing "7 to.... F Fairview via Wilson" ! (no stops being displayed, just the incorrect route). When I asked the driver about it he just said the GPS just wasn't working today and something about it causing more problems than it solves...

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This morning I was on 2702 (7D UW via University), looked up at the display and at first *thought* it was working but then realized it was showing "7 to.... F Fairview via Wilson" ! (no stops being displayed, just the incorrect route). When I asked the driver about it he just said the GPS just wasn't working today and something about it causing more problems than it solves...

That would be one of the ones where the positioning doesn't update on route while driving (therefore never gets off the "7 to"..... that displays while at a stop), the buses position only updates when the doors are opened; and if there hasn't been a stop in a while, the INIT gets lost and doesn't update at all anymore without the operator manually repositioning it (which they probably hadn't done since well before Fairview since it was still showing 7F).

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