MiWay

[nfitz]

In short, I would say any station or terminal with multiple routes would be good places to have them installed if Metrolinx decides to further expand the machines outside of TTC.

It's up to MiWay to decide to do this, not Metrolinx. Each transit agency decides what it wants. Metrolinx is just acting as the vendor, and would install it, and send MiWay the bill.

If you read the 600+ page November 2012 agreement between TTC and Metrolinx to install Presto, there is page after page describing what these (AVM) machines do, where they are located, and even an estimate that Metrolinx will install 437 of them for TTC.

Clearly the lack of these machines being installed so far, meant that MiWay didn't negotiate for their installation. I'd think if one wants to see them, one would have to harrass MiWay.

[Gil]

It's up to MiWay to decide to do this, not Metrolinx. Each transit agency decides what it wants. Metrolinx is just acting as the vendor, and would install it, and send MiWay the bill.

If you read the 600+ page November 2012 agreement between TTC and Metrolinx to install Presto, there is page after page describing what these (AVM) machines do, where they are located, and even an estimate that Metrolinx will install 437 of them for TTC.

Clearly the lack of these machines being installed so far, meant that MiWay didn't negotiate for their installation. I'd think if one wants to see them, one would have to harrass MiWay.

One would hope that GO Transit stations and terminals would get them sooner. I don't know how many trips I've had delayed because someone didn't have cash to load their PRESTO card (or that they didn't realize their balance wouldn't be enough for a trip). Hopefully the joint MiWay/GO Transit stations on the Transitway get the machines!

[nfitz]

One would hope that GO Transit stations and terminals would get them sooner.

One would hope, however Metrolinx has only installed them in new stations (Union York Concourse, UP Bloor, Weston, and Pearson), but not in any old stations. Presumably there'd be a significant undertaking to retrofit into the existing stations. But yes, they should do it. And yes the other transit agencies should do as well.

I have to say, the TTC Presto implementation does look like it's going to be better thought out, and more complete, than we've seen for other agencies. Though I guess that's what happens when the agency had been putting together their own plan for many years before a deal was made with Presto, rather than just rushing in.

[Gil]

One would hope, however Metrolinx has only installed them in new stations (Union York Concourse, UP Bloor, Weston, and Pearson), but not in any old stations. Presumably there'd be a significant undertaking to retrofit into the existing stations. But yes, they should do it. And yes the other transit agencies should do as well.

I have to say, the TTC Presto implementation does look like it's going to be better thought out, and more complete, than we've seen for other agencies. Though I guess that's what happens when the agency had been putting together their own plan for many years before a deal was made with Presto, rather than just rushing in.

Kipling subway station has two of the PRESTO loading machines installed, but not activated at the fare gate between the North and South lots. Handy for GO and MiWay riders since the collectors can't load the cards at the moment. Wonder if Islington has them somewhere (say at the collector's booth or in the fare-paid area by the MiWay buses as I don't use that station)?

[Doppelkupplung]

How much do the '13 XD60's cost?

[MiExpress]

How much do the '13 XD60's cost?

Just under $700,000 each, keep in mind prices can fluctuate between orders based on stuff like specifications, price of raw materials, competitive bidding tenders, USD/CAD exchange rate, etc.

[Doppelkupplung]

Wow! and were the '13 40 footers in the same area? where did you find out the prices?

[noahrp24]

Wow! and were the '13 40 footers in the same area? where did you find out the prices?

There was a bid on Biddingo.com for it.

https://www.biddingo.com/*.main?toPage=landingpage/StBidHistoryResult.jsp&bidOrgId=11003030&tndrId=1001732

As you can see New Flyer bid $6,972,630.00 for 10 XD60s which makes it $697,263/bus and $6,488,580.00 for 14 XD40s which makes it $463,470/bus.

Nova Bus only bid on the 60' buses and the bid $7,837,000.00 for the 10 buses which makes it $783,700/bus. As usual Mississauga goes with the lowest bid.

[Gil]

That was quick! The self-serve PRESTO machines at Kipling were working today.

[transitfan100]

That was quick! The self-serve PRESTO machines at Kipling were working today.

I saw when I was heading to 3w stop outside Kipling after getting off the TTC 191 from Humber College, I find its much faster than taking 107 from Sq1 to Humber College

[Doppelkupplung]

Oh yeah defintely. Self loaders would speed up service sooooo much. Classic Miway though, have like 2 desks open on rush hour. They really do have some customer service efficiency issues if you ask me.

[MiExpress]

The 2016 proposed budget details have started to be posted in advance of the 2016 budget process starting up next week. I have summarized the key points below:

MiWay 2016 Service hours:

The 2016 budget request is for a 2% increase in annual service hours, or approximately 28,000 service hours. Usually the request is 3% but due to "current economic conditions" only 2% is being requested this year.

MiWay 2016 Service rationalization savings (8,330 service hours)

Route 72 and 73 service reduction - 5 buses peak to 3 buses peak (4,450 service hours)

Route 52 and 55 to be cancelled (3,150 service hours)

Reduced Sunday service on Christmas Day and New Years Day (430 service hours)

Reduced Sunday service on the following holidays: Family Day, Good Friday, Easter Sunday, and Thanksgiving (300 service hours)

MiWay 2016 Capital budget ($59.4 million) - key highlights

Mississauga Transitway construction (city contribution) - $38.1 million

Mississauga Transitway downtown connection preliminary design - $4 million

Malton Garage expansion - $2.7 million

Growth Transit Bus Acquisition - $7.6 million

Transit bus major component repair/replacement - $4 million

Transit bus seating modifications (warranty issues) - $1.5 million

Transit non revenue vehicles (supervisor cars, change off cars, etc.) - $665,000

Other:

-$3.8 million increase in labour costs projected for 2016

-$1.8 million decrease in fuel costs for 2016 (reflected by current 2015 prices)

-A low income transit pass pilot program will be introduced in partnership with the Region of Peel. This will be administered through PRESTO.

-$130,000 for hiring a transit priority coordinator to implement transit priority measures

-The Transit map will continue to be sold for $2 but it turns out the current version was costing $2.60 to print which led to a loss of 83 cents for each map sold (based on pre tax price of $1.77). The paper used will be changed so it will cost $1.33 to produce instead.

The full proposed 2016 city budget can be viewed here:

http://www7.mississauga.ca/eCity/Budget/img/2016-2018-business-plan-2016-budget.pdf

And the November 23 budget commitee agenda:

http://www7.mississauga.ca/documents/agendas/committees/budget/2015/11_23_&_24_15_BC_Agenda.pdf

[Xtrazsteve]

-The Transit map will continue to be sold for $2 but it turns out the current version was costing $2.60 to print which led to a loss of 83 cents for each map sold (based on pre tax price of $1.77). The paper used will be changed so it will cost $1.33 to produce instead.

Good bye to the good glossy paper. Noooooooooo!

Anyone know what version (date) are they selling at CCT now?

[transitfan100]

Spotted 2 self reload Presto machines inside Islington Stn, 1 within fare paid area and 1 outside paid area, Sq.1 terminal should have at least 2 because line going around the terminal

[nfitz]

Spotted 2 self reload Presto machines inside Islington Stn, 1 within fare paid area and 1 outside paid area, Sq.1 terminal should have at least 2 because line going around the terminal

There are self reoload machines going into all 69 subway/RT stations, and some other TTC locations. This is TTC's doing.

MiWAY or GO Transit would have to make arrangements with Presto to put them in Square 1.

[Xtrazsteve]

There are self reoload machines going into all 69 subway/RT stations, and some other TTC locations. This is TTC's doing.

MiWAY or GO Transit would have to make arrangements with Presto to put them in Square 1.

Pretty sure they'll eventually have them. Do we know if there is any fees associated with ttc having these machines? Like transaction fees and such.

[nfitz]

Pretty sure they'll eventually have them. Do we know if there is any fees associated with ttc having these machines? Like transaction fees and such.

Not for the loading fees per se. It's part of the (600-page) contract between TTC and Metrolinx. The TTC does pay a 5.25% fee on any fares to Metrolinx. So for that $2.80 TTC ride, about 15¢ goes to Presto and $2.65 goes to TTC.

So for an annual TTC Metropass of $1,557, you are giving $81.74 to Presto. (though I'm sure it's the $6 for the card that people will actually complain about ...)

I haven't seen the MiWay contract - but presumably it doesn't require Metrolinx to place these devices in Mississauga. Mississauga would have to decide how much it's worth for them to amend their agreement. Though I'd hope that GO would put these devices at major GO locations.

[Gil]

Not for the loading fees per se. It's part of the (600-page) contract between TTC and Metrolinx. The TTC does pay a 5.25% fee on any fares to Metrolinx. So for that $2.80 TTC ride, about 15¢ goes to Presto and $2.65 goes to TTC.

So for an annual TTC Metropass of $1,557, you are giving $81.74 to Presto. (though I'm sure it's the $6 for the card that people will actually complain about ...)

I haven't seen the MiWay contract - but presumably it doesn't require Metrolinx to place these devices in Mississauga. Mississauga would have to decide how much it's worth for them to amend their agreement. Though I'd hope that GO would put these devices at major GO locations.

So far the new machines have been installed in indoor locations. Does anyone know if they're weather-resistant like the TVMs so that they can be installed outdoors or would they need to be installed indoors or at the very least inside a shelter of some sort? The Transitway stations would be ideal as some will be shared with GO Transit and there'd be plenty of room within the station for at least one machine. Incorporating both into a single machine would be the most ideal solution.

I also participated in the Customer Survey that's currently going on across the system last night. Most of the questions were simply tick off the appropriate box. There was no real section for providing feedback aside from what they were asking in the survey. I ran out of time to complete the 4-page survey so I skipped all the "explain why you marked off that box" questions as I was ticking off the rest of the boxes.

[Xtrazsteve]

Not for the loading fees per se. It's part of the (600-page) contract between TTC and Metrolinx. The TTC does pay a 5.25% fee on any fares to Metrolinx. So for that $2.80 TTC ride, about 15¢ goes to Presto and $2.65 goes to TTC.

So for an annual TTC Metropass of $1,557, you are giving $81.74 to Presto. (though I'm sure it's the $6 for the card that people will actually complain about ...)

I haven't seen the MiWay contract - but presumably it doesn't require Metrolinx to place these devices in Mississauga. Mississauga would have to decide how much it's worth for them to amend their agreement. Though I'd hope that GO would put these devices at major GO locations.

Yeah, I know a portion of fares would go towards presto. I guess it would be about the same for credit card fees and maintaining the whole metropass system. Otherwise the world not agree on the contract.

Someone has to pay for the credit card fees and maintain the server.

[Doppelkupplung]

Has the transitway really been a success? Let's be realistic here. Is the ridership really worth all that money and effort put into it? Does anyone have similar views? Like, the parking lot is ALWAYS empty. Never see any cars there..

[MiExpress]

Has the transitway really been a success? Let's be realistic here. Is the ridership really worth all that money and effort put into it? Does anyone have similar views? Like, the parking lot is ALWAYS empty. Never see any cars there..

It is far too early to make judgement on the transitway as currently it has only been in operation for a year, and with only the first phase (City Centre-Dixie). While you are right that the parking lots are not fully utilized, there is a fair bit of walk-in traffic at those stations and more importantly, riders are using the transitway as a pass-through to/from their ultimate destination.

One of the benefits of fully grade separated infrastructure is the ability to significantly improve travel times, as well as reduce delays. Even though the first phase of the transitway is only about 5km long, it has already resulted in anywhere from a 4-6 minute reduction in travel time on that stretch alone depending on the time of day and direction traveled. As the full transitway comes online, travel times will be further reduced. Reducing the travel time not only makes transit more attractive, but also allows for more frequent service to be provided using the same amount of resources.

The main transitway routes as of right now, 107 and 109 have seen significant growth since the first phase of the transitway opened in November 2014. According to the proposed 2016 budget, ridership on the 109 has increased by 32% in the one year the transitway has been open, and 107 has increased by 10%.

Finally, with the integration of GO Transit using the transitway in the future and the MiWay Five plan gradually re-aligning routes to feed into transitway stations, it's usefulness and impact will grow.

[noahrp24]

Speaking of the Transitway, I noticed they removed the bus shelters on the street outside of the stations to be used for the Pan Am games platform at Square One. Now they just left those shelters at Square One with the platform not being used but the shelters at the stations still have not been replaced yet.

[Doppelkupplung]

It is far too early to make judgement on the transitway as currently it has only been in operation for a year, and with only the first phase (City Centre-Dixie). While you are right that the parking lots are not fully utilized, there is a fair bit of walk-in traffic at those stations and more importantly, riders are using the transitway as a pass-through to/from their ultimate destination.

One of the benefits of fully grade separated infrastructure is the ability to significantly improve travel times, as well as reduce delays. Even though the first phase of the transitway is only about 5km long, it has already resulted in anywhere from a 4-6 minute reduction in travel time on that stretch alone depending on the time of day and direction traveled. As the full transitway comes online, travel times will be further reduced. Reducing the travel time not only makes transit more attractive, but also allows for more frequent service to be provided using the same amount of resources.

The main transitway routes as of right now, 107 and 109 have seen significant growth since the first phase of the transitway opened in November 2014. According to the proposed 2016 budget, ridership on the 109 has increased by 32% in the one year the transitway has been open, and 107 has increased by 10%.

Finally, with the integration of GO Transit using the transitway in the future and the MiWay Five plan gradually re-aligning routes to feed into transitway stations, it's usefulness and impact will grow.

Good points. I suppose it needs more time to show its colours....

[Gil]

It is far too early to make judgement on the transitway as currently it has only been in operation for a year, and with only the first phase (City Centre-Dixie). While you are right that the parking lots are not fully utilized, there is a fair bit of walk-in traffic at those stations and more importantly, riders are using the transitway as a pass-through to/from their ultimate destination.

One of the benefits of fully grade separated infrastructure is the ability to significantly improve travel times, as well as reduce delays. Even though the first phase of the transitway is only about 5km long, it has already resulted in anywhere from a 4-6 minute reduction in travel time on that stretch alone depending on the time of day and direction traveled. As the full transitway comes online, travel times will be further reduced. Reducing the travel time not only makes transit more attractive, but also allows for more frequent service to be provided using the same amount of resources.

The main transitway routes as of right now, 107 and 109 have seen significant growth since the first phase of the transitway opened in November 2014. According to the proposed 2016 budget, ridership on the 109 has increased by 32% in the one year the transitway has been open, and 107 has increased by 10%.

Finally, with the integration of GO Transit using the transitway in the future and the MiWay Five plan gradually re-aligning routes to feed into transitway stations, it's usefulness and impact will grow.

Nearly a full page of the survey was devoted to the Transitway, trying to gauge how useful it was to passengers. One of the stranger questions in that part of the survey was how many have you used the Transitway since it opened. Tick the appropriate range. Tricky to calculate when you're approaching your stop!

I don't see why they couldn't switch to an online (like GO Transit) or even a take-home survey that could be dropped off at say CCTT or at the Islington station ticket booth. If they had some sort of annual general meeting, that'd be another way to collect that kind of information. Hopefully with a place to submit some comments/suggestions.

Speaking of the Transitway, I noticed they removed the bus shelters on the street outside of the stations to be used for the Pan Am games platform at Square One. Now they just left those shelters at Square One with the platform not being used but the shelters at the stations still have not been replaced yet.

I'm surprised with the upcoming CCTT closure for resurfacing that they didn't just keep the shelters where they were unless they plan on relocating somewhere else. It is somewhat useful as that's the designated (to borrow the TTC's term) PPUDO - passenger pick up and drop off area. It did get some use during Carassauga when the buses stopped there.

With Brampton essentially pulling out of the LRT project, will MiWay operate it or will it be tendered out similar to how the Eglinton Line was?

[transitfan100]

I wonder when and why the route 2 Hurontario got renumbered to 19 Hurontario