tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6441168213084499367.post1983754392742761883..comments2024-03-11T12:46:28.806-04:00Comments on You. Me. Ride This Crazy Train - Adventures and Observations on The GO: This Crazy Train's Presto Chronicles, Chapter 31 (!!!): PRESTO? No. It’s more a matter of hurry up and wait …C.J. Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03325979176373626807noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6441168213084499367.post-73983331924691317192015-05-05T11:22:40.667-04:002015-05-05T11:22:40.667-04:00Ali -- Thanks for your reply. I'm glad we agre...Ali -- Thanks for your reply. I'm glad we agree on most of this topic.<br /><br />Maybe I editorialized a bit when I said I "cheated the system". You're right, I just took advantage of the way it was set up.<br /><br />I was charged an incorrect fare when the driver set the trip up incorrectly, but I hope with the introduction of PNG into GO service, GO's CAD/AVL will automatically set up the trip details just like OC Transpo does now. Heck, OC Transpo buses don't even have a Presto head (just BFTPs).<br /><br />Ultimately, Presto needs to undergo a lot of change, but the progress and process are very opaque (there's no "to-do" or "in-progress" project list that's publicly available). If we at least had <i>some</i> sense of planned new features, we wouldn't have to speculate so much.<br /><br />I have a great deal of respect for the Presto developers: Accenture sold Metrolinx a crappy system and they've had to fight an uphill battle to customize it to fit Toronto. But the motivation to improve the system has to come from higher up, and I don't think anybody at Metrolinx is putting that pressure on.<br /><br />I'm a strong believer in cautious optimism, but I'm not holding my breath.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17792305829426206758noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6441168213084499367.post-43799792805231455362015-05-05T10:36:59.181-04:002015-05-05T10:36:59.181-04:00You're absolutely correct, Anonymous (10:22 AM...You're absolutely correct, Anonymous (10:22 AM). The question is, why can't/won't Metrolinx fix the deficiencies?Peternoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6441168213084499367.post-71370261555748867022015-05-05T10:22:53.580-04:002015-05-05T10:22:53.580-04:00We don't need loopholes and back door fare dod...We don't need loopholes and back door fare dodges. We need a system that works - properly. As any good programmer knows, users will always do the wrong thing. You need to plan for this and make the software bullet proof. Right now there seems to be more than a few PRESTO holes.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6441168213084499367.post-42986988193464220142015-05-05T10:09:49.206-04:002015-05-05T10:09:49.206-04:00Tyson, thank you for your detailed analysis. Yes,...Tyson, thank you for your detailed analysis. Yes, you should apply to Metrolinx; I’m surprised they haven’t contacted you. <br /><br />In days of yore when we had paper 2 and 10 ride tickets and monthly passes, co-fares worked seamlessly with local transit partners. The point of the article is that Metrolinx is making promises they can’t keep, especially relying on PRESTO, which IMO is seriously flawed. I’ll admit to sarcasm in the last line of the article. Everything else is fact.<br /><br />To your point of shortening the Travel Window, others hold the same opinion, if for no other reason than to reach the coveted thresholds of 36 and 41 trips sooner to enjoy substantially reduced fares until the end of the month. Given that GO Transit had to adjust the Travel Window from 4 hr. to 2.5 hr. to 3 hr. tells me the “one size fits all” design was flawed from the beginning.<br /><br />You didn’t “cheat the system”. You merely exploited features of the system. Others have done the same between short hops like Ajax to Pickering; it’s worked for me between St. Catharines and Niagara Falls. Let’s remember that PRESTO can cheat passengers. PRESTO pilfers funds when ePurse loads are executed on open trips, typically on buses. TCT blew the whistle on this thievery. GO Transit planned to stop ePurse loads on buses altogether, but recanted. If memory serves me correctly you were charged incorrect bus fare when the driver set up the trip incorrectly. As CJ can attest, I’ve been burned the same way.Ali Gatornoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6441168213084499367.post-16352681672043551992015-05-05T08:41:25.423-04:002015-05-05T08:41:25.423-04:00LOL!LOL!C.J. Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03325979176373626807noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6441168213084499367.post-61070275686439550162015-05-05T08:39:40.905-04:002015-05-05T08:39:40.905-04:00Are you SURE this isn't a GO Transit site...? ...Are you SURE this isn't a GO Transit site...? (sound of head slapping)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6441168213084499367.post-53811800021536301382015-05-05T08:29:56.332-04:002015-05-05T08:29:56.332-04:00^ ROFL
State the obvious. Any time.^ ROFL<br /><br />State the obvious. Any time.C.J. Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03325979176373626807noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6441168213084499367.post-47696124800241020072015-05-05T07:00:44.718-04:002015-05-05T07:00:44.718-04:00This site has no connections with GO transit. This site has no connections with GO transit. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6441168213084499367.post-56996523412694719282015-05-04T14:38:24.739-04:002015-05-04T14:38:24.739-04:00As well as zone based journey times (a good idea) ...As well as zone based journey times (a good idea) the system should use business logic which can calculate a one-way journey versus a round trip within-the-window journey. <br /><br />@Tyson - anyone can apply to work at Metrolinx! Check out the careers page and reach out to someone in the dept that interests you. (Or try to find a contact through this site). Good luck!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6441168213084499367.post-9192853812310952672015-05-04T13:10:24.233-04:002015-05-04T13:10:24.233-04:00Yes, yes you did!Yes, yes you did!C.J. Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03325979176373626807noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6441168213084499367.post-87030105915302685052015-05-04T12:52:50.281-04:002015-05-04T12:52:50.281-04:00While I understand the intent of this post, the sa...While I understand the intent of this post, the sarcasm and hyperbole obscure the actual point. This author implies that local transit agencies should not limit their co-fare rules to the Presto travel window. I disagree: it's Presto that needs to change.<br /><br />Let me give you an equally valid counter-example to illustrate why we should <i>shorten</i> the travel window. This weekend, I took the GO bus from Bronte Carpool Lot to Square One, a trip of ~20 minutes. I got off the bus, took MiWay to my destination, returned on MiWay and took the bus back. By the intent of the fare rules, I should have paid two MiWay co-fares and two one-way GO bus fares.<br /><br />What did I actually pay? One co-fare and 1.27 GO bus fares. You see, when I tapped on the first MiWay bus, I paid the co-fare and got a 2-hour transfer window. I used that transfer on my return trip to Square One, and when I tapped on my GO bus, the 3-hour travel window <b>had not elapsed</b>, and my overall GO bus trip was Bronte to Bronte via Square One. I cheated the system.<br /><br />So now we have a contradiction: <i>extending</i> the travel window would cause fare revenue to fall, and <i>shortening</i> it would cause repercussions for people who take long journeys. Clearly, neither of these propositions are viable. <br /><br />The author touched on this in the article, but I think it needs to be driven home: Guelph and Milton Transit aren't necessarily doing things right, they're just doing what they can in absence of a better system. What <i>is</i> this better system?<br /><br /><b>Zone-based maximum journey times.</b><br /><br />Let's look at an example of an agency that does things the right way: Transport for London. TfL's Oyster card doesn't start a journey timer when you touch in, <b>it evaluates journey times when you touch out</b>. This design means that the maximum journey time can vary, depending on the number of zones one passes through.<br /><br />If we do some rough distance estimates based on <a href="http://www.tfl.gov.uk/fares-and-payments/oyster/using-oyster/maximum-journey-times" rel="nofollow">TfL's maximum journey times</a>, Bronte Carpool to Square One would be 80 minutes, and St. Catharines to Pickering would be 260-315 minutes, plenty of time for Pedro to make his connection in Durham without worrying about the transfer window.<br /><br />Since GO Transit already uses a zone-based fare system, and since Presto already knows how to calculate <i>fares</i> between these zones, it shouldn't be too difficult to implement zone-based maximum journey times. Obviously these times would have to be modified for GO's service area, but that's the general idea. Of course, I've been wrong before...<br /><br />I hope I've demonstrated that zone-based maximum journey times are superior to any fixed journey time, regardless of length. I'm always open to feedback and would love to engage in some further discussion. :)<br /><br />(I wonder... could I apply to work at Metrolinx with a compilation of my TCT comments in lieu of a CV?)Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17792305829426206758noreply@blogger.com