So you didn't register your PRESTO card, now what?

from:		bb
to:		"cj@thiscrazytrain.com"
date:		Thu, Mar 12, 2015 at 7:37 AM
subject:		Thanks Presto

Hi CJ,

I was getting all the documents together to prepare for the annual onslaught of filing tax returns for each member of my family (five of us) and asked my son, who is still living at home to download his Presto usage for 2014.

He's very computer literate, and called me over when he couldn't see the downloadable usage PDF for 2014. All the other dialogue boxes on that screen worked fine. I told him to call the Presto help line this past Tuesday on his day off to see what the story is.

Here's the response from Presto:

"Sorry, but you didn't register your card by January 31st of this year and you're out of luck. We can't do anything for you. Goodbye."

He's been using his card since last May (since graduating community college), and really had no need to register his card because he always pays cash or debit when he tops up. 

We're talking about a $1500 usage of his Presto card that he won't be able to claim.

Any of your loyal followers encounter this problem?

B

from:		Cindy (Cj) Smith <cj@thiscrazytrain.com>
to:		bb
date:		Thu, Mar 12, 2015 at 7:49 AM
subject:		Re: Thanks Presto

Do you mean not registering the card or not understanding that the card has to be registered to claim the credit?

You're the first! But I'm sure there are hundreds more.

I would claim the money anyway. If you get audited asking for the report, download your son's banking statements or get all the receipts that would have been emailed to you when you loaded the card online. Try to find any evidence you have the proves you actively put money on that card since May.

The transit report just makes things easier but it doesn't mean because you don't have one, you are ineligible for the credit.

It just means you have to provide more or alternative documentation to prove the expense. 

from:		bb
to:		Cindy Cj Smith
date:		Thu, Mar 12, 2015 at 7:57 AM
subject:		RE: Thanks Presto

He never registered the card at all after he got it. He just kept going to the kiosk to top it up. I don't think registering the card was a priority.

He's going to go in to Toronto a little earlier tomorrow to plead his case to Presto at Union. If that fails, we'll follow your suggestions.

rom:		Cindy (Cj) Smith
to:		bb
date:		Thu, Mar 12, 2015 at 8:00 AM
subject:		RE: Thanks Presto

I totally understand.
How did he pay? Debit?
If so, print out the transactions on his bank account since May.

With TD I can look at my account month by month and I can download to a spreadsheet.

I really don't think they're going to be helpful but tell him I wish him luck!

from:		bb
to:		Cindy Cj Smith
date:		Thu, Mar 12, 2015 at 8:05 AM
subject:		RE: Thanks Presto

Hi Cindy,

My wife works for RBC and I just go her to do exactly what you suggested below.

All the transactions are there, and she can spit them out if needed.

from:		Cindy (Cj) Smith <cj@thiscrazytrain.com>
to:		bb
date:		Thu, Mar 12, 2015 at 8:07 AM
subject:		RE: Thanks Presto

Excellent!
Add them up and claim it!

---

Hold on! Before you comment!

I am aware this may or may not work but I have in my possession notes from a phone call I had with a Revenue Canada agent in the Fall about supporting the claim when I thought they were outright rejecting my transit usage report. I asked how else I could prove it. 

The agent said, and I quote, "If the electronic receipt from PRESTO is showing you added money to the card online and you can support through documentation that you used those funds to take the eligible amount of trips, it would be considered. It doesn't mean we would accept it but it would be considered."

What about a bank statement?

"Normally  we don't consider a bank statement a valid receipt. But if the statement identifies the transit agency or the name of the fare card, it would be considered as a means to support the claim."

So would I have to itemize the trips on a spreadsheet and prove each deposit was used to pay for my trips? How do I prove the fare amount to support 32 one way trips. Would it help if I printed out one of my transaction reports from PRESTO to show the fare calculation?

"I would suggest you send in everything you have that could prove you are a PRESTO cardholder, that you spent money on the card and demonstrate an amount that would support the debit. If you can satisfy the claim, you will be eligible for the credit."

Train buddy, bus buddy, car buddy, PATH buddy ... is that a walk buddy?

Since taking the leap about a year, maybe two years ago? Can't remember - to put up actual photos of myself on Twitter, Instagram and this site, I've made it easier for you to recognize me, which I appreciate.

I have bus buddies and train buddies. But here's the thing, please don't feel like you need to all of a sudden change your routine if we've chatted, or feel obligated to sit with me. Those of you who worked up the nerve to introduce yourselves may have noticed, especially on the bus, I have people who I know offline who will chat with me and I feel bad, because now I'm probably ignoring you. This has happened a few times. Although I know you've said you didn't mind, I do. I can't help but feel bad.

I love having buddies. It's such a lovely community of people who exist in this GO train village we've built.

As of now, some of my closest and dearest friends are people who I met on the train.

I really think some kind of get together is long overdue -- where I pick a place, hire a band and invite all of you to come.

I just worry no one would have the nerve to show up, and then I have to call my mom, crying, and my mom then has to call my cousin and beg him to go to the party and have a dance with me, and pretend like he's my boyfriend.

You know, kind of like prom? Yeah .... so ...

I'll just park here. Yep, that'll do.

@GOtransit you may want to look into this 2nd level parking whitby station, car abandoned pic.twitter.com/pXbFcuQRR8

— Kieran Schwyrie (@KieranSchwyrie) March 11, 2015

19 People Who Need To Back Up Their Parking Game via Diply.com

1. You could be given not one, but two boots, a pair of boots.

via reddit/u/turnonthebrites

2. If the spot is not meant for you I'd be very cautious. 

via reddit/u/IamAlexander9

You don't want to get uprooted to another, less appealing spot. 

---

KEEP READING ON DIPLY.COM

Suddenly ... pole

Appears that pole has penetrated the bus roof which may cause some delays but ETR remains 1:00. pic.twitter.com/xBtUAY8Ud3

— PowerStream Inc. (@PowerStreamNews) March 11, 2015

Must be engineering students

Crafty @GOtransit riders have made a garbage bridge through the mud to get to #YorkUStrike pick up location! pic.twitter.com/4dFsRg7neV

— Michael Kasaboski (@thementalkavity) March 10, 2015

How's this going to work? GO bus drivers have enough to concentrate on and don't need to start breaking up fights

GO Transit talking Quiet Zones on buses

GO Transit is quietly exploring the possibility of adding no-talking sections to its buses. The transit agency hasn't formally decided to go ahead with the idea, and there's no timeline yet. But GO has been surveying customers on whether they would like to see Quiet Zones, introduced on trains in 2013, added to the bus service.…

Take a ride on the train that has no PRESTO family rate, no real opening date, except for "Spring" and a whole bunch of other inconsistencies about how much it costs and when it launches

Drop kick it and punt it. Walk away like a boss

.@GOtransit #seatsR4passengers announcement much needed 2day @GOChronicles @ThisCrazyTrain pic.twitter.com/FIiLiYrJDp

— Janice Correa (@jlbcorrea) March 2, 2015

She's got this down to a science. If I turn my body, you can't see me being a douche

@GOChronicles people that take up two seats when other people are standing! #Shameless #Selfish #GOtrain pic.twitter.com/9Ef4ARHOUY

— johnluchetti (@JohnLuchetti) March 9, 2015

Yep!

This is what happens when you stick your foot in the door as they're closing (I'm speculating) #GOtrain pic.twitter.com/ruTkFtPt0d

— Drown The Fishes (@Paulbg2000) March 9, 2015

We had a guest on the 90A this morning

How is this even remotely okay?

from:		LA
to:		"C. J. Smith"
date:		Tue, Mar 10, 2015 at 8:31 AM
subject:		Appleby GO

That's NINE parking spots wiped out by this guy.
Haven't seen that before.

How is this safe at highway speed? How about at *any* speed?

"@GOvoygr: Cuz they're lower, DDs are more vulnerable & if it's loaded like the following, well… @TorontoStar pic.twitter.com/odrBjIAVIT" DEATH!
— CJ Smith (@ThisCrazyTrain) March 6, 2015

What you're seeing here is a Route 12 GO bus from last summer at the beginning of its journey to Niagara Falls.

In light of the recent GO bus fatality that happened in January on Highway 407, will GO Transit be reviewing procedures for Double Decker buses and its *unsecured* luggage and strollers that travel on highways with speeds in access of 90 km/hr? Unlike the MCI buses, Double Deckers do not have storage bays. Everything is stowed how you see it in the picture. How does this protect the driver? Or the passengers in the event of a major collision?

What would have happen if this Double Decker slammed into a guardrail? Everything not tied down, or piled near the driver, becomes a flying object, capable of causing serious injuries and possible death. Never mind the fact that bodies would be flung around like rag dolls if the bus were to roll down an embankment.

Scary, right? And a very real possibility.

90A ran the paddle on time this morning

I thought I was seeing things at first when I stood bleary-eyed in the bus shelter and saw the familiar orange lights and lettering appear in the distance.

6:43 am. A Christmas miracle indeed!

So what's different about this Monday compared to other Mondays? Is it Daylight Savings Time? All those folks that allegedly pay cash fares the eight stops before mine, and according to GO Transit, are the reason why my bus can't keep a paddle, must have all slept in!

Only us PRESTO card folks were on the ball this morning, I guess.

Here's the follow-up email to my letter from Friday.

As it stands, changes are coming in April. I've been blogging about the inconsistency about this route since October.

rom:		GO Transit Customer Relations <customerrelations@gotransit.com>
to:		Cindy Smith
cc:		Greg Percy , Paula Edwards
date:		Fri, Mar 6, 2015 at 5:45 PM
subject:		GO Transit, A Division of Metrolinx EM0018001185

Dear Ms. Smith,

Thank you again for your recent emails. I appreciate your patience while I’ve looked into this issue.

We have examined the operating times of this trip from February 9^th to today. Other than yesterday, this trip has experienced 4 significant delays during that time (on February 10^th, 12^th, 18^th and 19^th). Every other day, it has operated within 5 minutes of its scheduled arrival time. Unfortunately, traffic conditions and weather can all contribute to these minor delays.

We have taken a closer look at these overall delays and it seems that from Monday to Thursday, there is a higher number of passengers that pay with cash and need to have tickets printed. While I cannot guarantee that this is the cause of all the daily delays, this can have an impact on the arrival time of a bus.

I recognize that you probably give yourself enough time to catch this bus at its intended arrival time and I realize that being forced to wait an additional 3-5 minutes for a delayed bus can be unpleasant, especially with the cold weather we’ve been having. I am sorry for this inconvenience.

We have recently completed a review of the Route 90 bus services and we will be making some adjustments to the scheduled arrival times in order to better reflect the actual operating times of this trip. Information regarding this schedule change will be posted on our website closer to the date of the schedule change, April 11^th.

Thank you for bringing this matter to my attention.

But what if I'm blind?

Traveling from #Bronte using @PRESTOcard? Don't say you didn't know how. @GOtransit pic.twitter.com/V3ilIMuAkm

— Josh Rivett (@GORivett94) March 1, 2015

Throwing garbage out is hard

Cleaned up after someone left their litter on the @GOtransit train #keepGOclean pic.twitter.com/16m0GhyeEh

— Sneha (@SnehaVee) March 1, 2015

Our fare dollars at work? I'm pretty sure we pay for schedules. Ads shouldn't trump passenger needs

WTH?! Who removed the @GOtransit Route 12 schedule in St. Catharines and replaced with @Cogeco advertising? pic.twitter.com/X8srHQbU7u

— GO Voyageur (@GOvoygr) March 9, 2015

Shouldn't that get fixed? Because safety?

A week later @GOtransit bus #2352 still has a cracked windshield. Example of Passenger Charter "safe experience"? pic.twitter.com/1hVt4LmgyY

— GO Voyageur (@GOvoygr) March 8, 2015

Redecorating the personal office of Wendel Clarke, LLC

Looks great, right? (Never mind that my daughter's room Wendel's office is a disaster - she's he's been warned).

But anyway, not even two seconds later:



Cat. Lawyer cat.

I see this on social media a lot - a driver who is annoyed he/she has to stop to let a thousand of us go by (think *real* hard about that)

#couldthisdaygetanylonger#workforaliving#tired#traffic#longday#gotrain#ninthline#stouffville

A video posted by Corey (@xxzoomerxx) on Mar 6, 2015 at 3:01pm PST

Just nasty

@ThisCrazyTrain !!!"@DjMidli: Stay classy and stay safe #Ottawa! Poor guy or gal forgot protection on #octranspo 94. pic.twitter.com/0E7exa9RWj"

— Michael Suddard (@MichaelSuddard) March 8, 2015

LOL

@ThisCrazyTrain @metrolinx found a new revenue stream for @gotransit improvements "@EtobicokeErnie: Wait....What???? pic.twitter.com/g2St2IDjPQ"

— Michael Suddard (@MichaelSuddard) March 8, 2015

It really shouldn't be this hard

from:		NT
to:		cj@thiscrazytrain.com
date:		Fri, Mar 6, 2015 at 2:32 PM
subject:		The latest "GO service guarantee" nonsense

Hi CJ!

Had to take a moment to send you the gist of my morning commute today, since I travelled from Oshawa to Union on what should have been the 6:12 am train.

Arrived at Oshawa to hear the announcement (which they repeated often and clearly - the folks who work at the Oshawa GO are great) that the 6:12 would be departing "5-10 minutes late due to switch problems". No problem - we all huddled in the nice warm station house and waited. Train came in at 6:12 but didn't actually depart for another 12ish minutes. Got to Whitby, left Whitby and came to a stop between Whitby and Ajax for a few minutes. Continued the rest of the trip (all stops to Union) with some slowdowns. Ultimately arrived at Union and disembarked at 7:35 am (both my travelling buddy and I cheked our respective phones). Since the scheduled arrival time is 7:11 am, we were a clear 24 minutes late and we both remarked that at least the trip would be free.

About an hour later, when settled at work, clicked onto the GO site to check my trip and register my PRESTO claim. Imagine my surprise when I received the "Unfortunately, no" response to "does my trip qualify?" - ostensibly because we weren't apparently 15 or more minutes late. Except that we were. 24 big minutes late.

I called Customer Service and spoke with "X". X informed me the train log was showing that we were only 7 minutes late. Impossible, I countered - passengers noted the time when we got off the train and it was clearly 24 minutes late.  Then "X" informs me - get ready - that GO doesn't use the time that the train actually arrives at the platform as its arrival time, for service guarantee purposes, but rather the time it arrives in the "service corridor" for the destination station. What the heck is the "service corridor?" I ask. She isn't sure, but thinks that for Union, coming from the east, it's "around York Street". Floored and royally pissed off, I point out two important things: a) the only arrival time that matters to a passenger is the one where they are permitted to disembark and move on with their day, so the "service corridor" arrival time is irrelevant when one speaks of a "service guarantee" and b) NOWHERE on GO's web site (or signage or anything else) does this information appear - in fact, I note, I have never heard the phrase "service corridor" in the many times I've had occasion to request a fare reimbursement or be in touch with Customer Service. I could almost see her shrug. I reiterated that the simple fact is that the train did not arrive at the station in a manner that allowed passengers to leave the train until 24 minutes after it was scheduled to do so, and she reiterated that "well, we don't use the time the train actually gets to the PLATFORM as the arrival time". When I somehow managed to point out through my increasingly clenched teeth that this was completely illogical, I was informed that she was "sorry I felt that way".

You know what comes next. I asked to speak to someone who could actually address this issue. She huffed and put me on hold and eventually I found myself speaking to "Y" who I am to assume is a supervisor. "Y" was a much better customer service representative. She reiterated everything that "X" had said, but in a manner that didn't inspire me to want to reach through the phone. She also did something that was even more useful: she acknowledged that this apparently policy is definitely not communicated to customers properly on the web site and even that she doesn't understand the logic of it herself. And then she very kindly took my PRESTO card number and advised that she would reimburse me for my trip, as well as following up to see if the language on the web site could be clarified so that people were made aware of this policy (which, though idiotic, is apparently the one the CS staff are obliged to cite).

In the end, I got what I wanted (a refund) but not before I had to spend 15 minutes on the phone and hear what has to be the most ridiculous service guarantee rule since "you can't be reimbursed for a late trip if you tapped your card more than 15 minutes prior to the departure time". Considering all the reasons that GO has NOT to reimburse trips, it's outrageous and just plan moronic to issue a service guarantee that is supposed to be based on arrival time and then redefine what "arrival" means. At the very least, I'm hoping to spread the word of this new development to as many GO passengers as possible, and thank heavens we all read your site, which is the perfect opportunity to do just that.

GO expansion to USA?

from:		RD
to:		cj@thiscrazytrain.com
date:		Fri, Mar 6, 2015 at 6:59 PM

Mayor of Niagara Falls NY would like GO extended across the border, according to

http://www.niagarathisweek.com/news-story/5464266-a-view-from-the-other-side-of-the-river/.  I once sat for 2.5 hrs on Amtrak's Toronto - Manhattan "Maple Leaf" as it was parked in NF NY for the Immigration officers to do their thing.  (I got asked if I've ever been in prison.  I haven't been.)  Doesn't GO have enough challenges to keeping to its schedule without getting Homeland Security involved? 

Untitled

I dream about him often. I wish I didn't. The dream last night was so vivid, I almost expected to see him in my living room this morning.

I used to ride the GO train often after work on Friday nights to spend the weekend with him in Whitby, or I'd rent a convertible and drive out there to pick him up. We'd take turns cruising the winding roads up past Columbus, north of Oshawa. Howden Road was our favorite stretch of road. If his brother was with us, I'd open it up to 90 km/hr and he and his brother would stand up in the back seat, arms up the air, legs twisted around the seatbelts, screaming Depeche Mode lyrics at the tops of their lungs. I'd always drive. I'd look back and laugh at them, telling them if we hit a cow, we'd all be be dead.

We were young. We didn't care.

We met in college and started dating the summer of 1993. He wooed me on streetcars and buses. I was an outgoing girl running with a goth crowd by day and raving on Saturday nights. He was in love with Toronto, having grown up in Whitby. I was a city girl - born and bred. He was quiet, thoughtful and incredibly smart. He showed me things about the city I never cared to learn about.

We had our first kiss around two in the morning one really hot August night at the foot of the CN Tower, sitting near the fountain. He was incredibly shy. I was his first. For everything.

We lived together for less than a year before I decided to move out. Living with him was often complicated by the fact that he was diabetic and he managed the disease poorly. He began to rely on me to feed him and bring him back from his hypoglycemic states. He despised that he had the disease. It made him dark, and sometimes, hard to love.

When he moved back to Whitby to live with his mother after taking a job in Ajax, I only saw him on weekends. It took a toll on our relationship.

One night he went to bed, didn't take his insulin and let the disease consume him.

His name was Stephen. He died on December 23rd, 2007.

It took me a long time to shut down the rollercoaster ride he and I were on. The official break-up happened in November 1996, but for almost a year after that I would allow him back in, into my own apartment, where he would ask me what he could do to make me love him again. He'd often leave in anguish, tears threatening, not understanding why we couldn't be together.

He'd send me emails for years afterward telling me about whatever girl he was with. He was graphic, lewd and hurtful. I eventually changed jobs, had other relationships, changed email addresses, met my husband, moved to Oshawa, and lost track of him. I didn't want him to find me. I needed him to move on. We couldn't be friends.

In 2005, my daughter was born. Home on maternity leave, I would take Jayde out for walks, wanting to learn the neighbourhood I was living in. One day, a day in September, I was coming back home from one of my walks when I saw a person pacing nervously in front of my house. As I got closer, I recognized the familiar tic he had of putting one finger to his chin and tapping. My breath caught. My heart raced. I had no idea how he figured out where I lived. I was stunned. His face brightened when he saw me and he raced towards me. I immediately thought of all the weight I had put on since he had last seen me, and then I was mad at myself for caring. He looked tired, older of course, but genuinely happy to see me.

We stood on my driveway. Sweat trickled down my back. Jayde began to cry. All I remember is that he jokingly called Jayde a rat and he was telling me that his dad lived a few streets over. He had been visiting him a few weekends back when he passed by my house and saw me painting the trim of the front windows. I had completely forgotten his dad lived in the area. I didn't know Oshawa in the 90s and I didn't know it very well when I moved there years later. He was amazed at the coincidence. So was I.

He apologized for just showing up. He gave me his phone number. He told me he was living in downtown Toronto, right near St. Lawrence Market. He asked me if I was happy. He looked so sad - stricken. I had moved on. He was still trying.

I never phoned him. I put the piece of paper he gave me in the junk drawer and shoved it under a battery pack.

One day in the winter of 2009, I was heading home from work and caught sight of someone I recognized outside of Union Station. It was Mary. She was Stephen's best friend all through high school. I had met her a handful of times before she moved away, and out of province, shortly before Stephen and I got serious. She was happy to see me. We chatted for a bit. She was in town for a conference. I only asked because I felt I should. I asked her if she and Stephen had kept in touch.

She looked at me, puzzled. Then her eyes fell. "You don't know, do you?" She asked me.

"Stephen passed away."

I can't explain how I felt just then. I just knew I had to sit down. She walked me over to a row of benches.

"How?" I choked out.

She told me what his brother had told her but she and I both knew it wasn't what the family believed. She knew him better than I did. Even though we were older, she knew him. You always know your best friend. It doesn't matter if they're a thousand miles away. You know them.

After about 30 minutes, she asked me if I would be okay. I didn't know. We hugged and I left for the train.

The ride home is a blur. I went through an amazing range of emotions. The most prominent was anger. Anger at Stephen for not getting his life together and then I just fell apart. I rushed down the stairs to the washroom and slammed the door shut. I cried and cried. I cried until I felt my heart would break in two.

You see, I loved him. I never stopped. I just couldn't be with him. We couldn't be together.

All I wanted was for him to be happy. I couldn't make him happy. That's why I left. I knew he felt I was the only thing that made him happy. I knew that was wrong. When we were together, he lost sight of who he was. He wasn't living for him. He was living for us. I wanted him to love himself as much as I loved him. I used to scream at him through a closed bathroom door that he didn't understand that if he couldn't take care of himself, he couldn't expect me to. I was 22. I couldn't be his mother.

When I left him, all those years ago in 1996, after my dad packed the rest of my boxes into his minivan, I held Stephen's face between my hands and looked up him and told him I could no longer put my key in the door and come home to him dead. I didn't want to be the one to find him.

He told me he hated me.

"I hate you." That's what he said. I said nothing. I just walked out.

I realize we were young. Although he was three years older than me, we were young. I wanted more and I found it with my husband, but that didn't mean I stopped loving Stephen. But it's not the kind of love that builds a life together. It was the kind of love you have when you're young. When the person you're with is all that matters. Friends are blown off. Shifts at work are skipped. You're sober but you're drunk.

I couldn't drive home when my train pulled into Oshawa the night I learned Stephen had died. Instead I drove to Whitby. I wanted to go to the place where he took me and tried to ask me to marry him. He was scared to death. He never got the words out. I played stupid. I laughed. I made jokes and then I threw myself at him, kissing him hard and stifling his words. If he didn't say them I wouldn't have to tell him no. We lay there listening to the lake, my head on his chest listening to his heart hammer away, certain I was also listening to it fall apart.

The Whitby waterfront has changed so much since then. I was confused about where to go or how to get there, so I parked at the marina and I cried. I think I was shouting and hitting the steering wheel. I was... just ... so mad.

I never felt guilty because I was always honest with him. All I could think about was his mother, his brother, his friends and his cat. I thought of his things, possessions he valued. I tried to remember his laugh. I tried to remember all the stupid things we said to each other, promised each other and the hateful things we said because we were hurting.

I didn't get home until 1 am. My husband was asleep. I had told him by text message I was working late. I crawled into bed and cried myself to sleep.

I couldn't save him. I never could.

The dreams come and go. I can't stop them.

What I want to do when I see this

The Friday aisle dance begins. @ThisCrazyTrain @GOtransit #gotransit pic.twitter.com/XxJoBc7Mj7
— WhyThink (@MindingEnergy) March 6, 2015

Substitute "little girl" with "bag".
Cat thrown in pool is actually a stuffed animal.
Substitute that with your bag.

And now for an update on the ongoing saga that is the 90A

What's wrong with the 90A? Here's the background.

And now for some good news

Reason #3 why we can't have nice things (yes, that's a bag of vomit)

What a fantastic morning!!! Not.

And yet, the 7:15 Oshawa to Union train was completely fine.

You know how when a tornado hits and hundreds of homes are destroyed but one?

That's the train I was on.

Just waiting for the GO bus, and oh, what's on sale you say?

My crazy cousin Joe has trouble reading a sign and asks for help. #screwingwithpeople #dwimovie #shortfilm #macabre #macabreband #gobus

A video posted by Rev.R.G.Jr. (@lucky_iii) on Feb 7, 2015 at 7:16pm PST

Goat mimics what bag riders say when we ask them if their bag bought a ticket for the seat it's on

I'm also the girl on the train reading The Girl on the Train

I'm a girl on the train reading the girl on the train 😄 #reading #thegirlonthetrain #gotrain

A photo posted by Jennifer Symington (@jennifersym) on Mar 4, 2015 at 4:41am PST

Caption this?

BTS of a recent shoot we did. Freezing cold -25 and everything was working just fine. #bts #onthego #torontophotographer #gotrain

A photo posted by Jonathan Bielaski (@jonbielaski) on Mar 5, 2015 at 8:36am PST

Ontario foot riders!!! Holla at your west coast homies!

Metrolinx can't even enforce no smoking bylaws but they're going to curb a gang of pigeon feeders?!

High-riding pigeons dump on bikes at Finch GO station

If pigeons were half as smart as some people think, they’d be choosier about where they do their business. And when people who aren’t much smarter than birds drop feed for them in the wrong places, everything under their perch is sure to be slathered with repulsive droppings. Pigeons are thought to be pretty sharp. We…

Let me guess! Someone missed the doors not opening at Pickering announcements!

Rage at the 90A

Being at the mercy of a bus schedule that is unreliable in the morning is starting to take its toll on me.

Receiving an email from GO Transit advising me to essentially get up at 4:45 am and make my way to a 6:10 am bus to solve the problem just pushed me right over the edge.

I'm restraining myself from telling people where to go and how to get there.

Honestly, tears are stinging my eyes because the frustration has boiled over to a point where for some reason, I've made myself feel I'm the sole person responsible for getting this shit with the 90A bus fixed.

It's not so much as needing to connect to the train and relying on the two minutes we get when the bus actually arrives at its scheduled time of 7:13 at Oshawa GO to catch the 7:15 train, but witnessing what this bullshit is doing to the passengers I ride with.

One has left and returned to her car so she can get to Ajax to work on time because the 6:18 to 7:13 90A route constantly misses the connecting GO bus that travels past Stevenson (I think she said Route 96). Another lady is taking a taxi three days a week to Laval Drive and Stevenson Road so she can catch a connecting bus.

THE PROBLEM IS NOT SO MUCH THAT THE BUS ARRIVES ON TIME (OR FOUR MINUTES LATE) TO OSHAWA GO STATION!

THE PROBLEM IS THE FACT THE BUS IS NOT ARRIVING AT THE STOPS AT THE SCHEDULED TIMES.

Yesterday, my driver was nine minutes late. We arrived at the station at 7:17. GO shrugged a big "who the fuck cares" because this route is designed to catch the 7:28, so GOLD STARS! Right? The driver has been late to my stop every day this week!

But for the previous two weeks she was ON TIME. AT EACH STOP. EVERY DAY!

WHAT THE HELL IS DIFFERENT?

This bus has a paddle. I don't know what the hell a paddle was but in discussions with another driver, it's code for scheduled arrival times at stops. This driver swore to me the paddle is gospel. Local bus connections and GO bus connections are structured around this paddle. If a driver can't keep a paddle, it screws up the route. People miss connecting buses or people are left standing in the cold for eight to 10 minutes longer than necessary.

Maybe it's the stress at work. Maybe it's the fact that this has upset my routine. Maybe it's the fact that I care too much, but I don't understand why this bothers me so much. Maybe it's because I expect the service to work.

So, three questions still remain:

1. Why can't the driver stay on time?  (Already asked)
2. Why can't Metrolinx provide heated bus shelters?
3. Why aren't Greg Percy et al out there with me gaining "valuable insights into the GO customer experience".

Whoops.

Post by Xris Kukiel.

We lost the privelege of having a guest ride for free on weekends when GO introduced PRESTO so fare is fair

Metrolinx staff still rides GO for free, but plus-one provision eliminated

Metrolinx employees will continue to ride GO Transit for free, but they’ll no longer be able to bring a guest after the provincial agency's board voted to amend its employee pass policy on Tuesday. While it's common for transit agencies, including the TTC, to allow employees to ride for free, the plus-one provision of the Metrolinx…

GO Transit bus driver charged with careless driving after fatal crash on Highway 407

Donald Bruce Crombie, 66, was driving the bus at the time of the accident, the Ontario Provincial Police said in a press release Monday.

Crombie had 15 years of experience driving buses, GO Transit officials said at the time.

Police said the bus collided with a steel guard rail on the right side of the highway for “unknown reasons” shortly after 10 p.m. on Jan. 14.

Full story at Global News.ca

Today's burning question

from:		LA
to:		"C. J. Smith"
date:		Fri, Feb 27, 2015 at 5:35 PM
subject:		5:37 LSW express Does the GIANT FUCKING SUITCASE get a passenger discount?

And for the record, no one asked this guy to move his suitcase and people chose to stand rather than speak up.

I did not expect LA to say anything. LA won't. I don't blame him.

Sometimes it's not worth the blast of self-entitled excuses that are hurled back at you.

Be an adult and put your bag on the floor.

Only a thousand stickers sold for Danforth GO access via Metropass? And guess what? GO was slower than TTC

Did you notice the number on the GO sticker on the Metropass in this video?

Check out this report by CTV News.

Two CTV reporters attempt to get to Union from the east and the west end of the city using GO Transit and comparing the time of travel to the TTC.

Metrolinx perk "business as usual" - Toronto Sun report

I thought the controversial part was the fact employees could bring a guest along for free - without restrictions?

---

Metrolinx told employees they could continue riding GO Transit for free even though the province promised to review the controversial perk.

Transportation Minister Steven Del Duca ordered the agency to re-evaluate the policy after media began to ask questions about the benefit, which could save an employee thousands of dollars a year at a time when fares are increasing for regular riders. Under the rules, employees are allowed to ride alone, or with a guest, for free.

The results of that review are expected to be presented at Metrolinx board of directors meeting Tuesday.

CONTINUE READING ... 

Reason #102 why we can't have nice things

Fantastic graffiti art on the side of the #GOtrain. Could not help myself had to stop and snap a pic! Neat to see such a treat on @GOtransit! #morning #commute #lakeshorewest

A photo posted by Patrick Lee (@gigglefoxes) on Feb 26, 2015 at 5:26am PST

Reason #249 why we can't have nice things

Not a good start to the weekend. #GoTransit #ParkingLot #Meadowvale

A photo posted by Ricardo Santos (@ricas77) on Feb 27, 2015 at 2:49pm PST

The Milton line should be renamed the "Still"ton line

This has been the worst winter on record for passengers who travel the Milton corridor.

Trains were delayed 30% (I think the number is actually higher) of the time for February and many trips were cancelled out right. Passengers fed up with trying to get onto a GO bus to shuttle them to Union gave up and went home, calling in sick. One rider wrote me to tell me she used three sick days because of cancelled trains. Not cool.

This morning, despite a summery -7C, trains departing on the Stillton line are delayed. The reason?

from:		JG
to:		cj@thiscrazytrain.com
date:		Mon, Mar 2, 2015 at 8:43 AM
subject:		Milton

Check out the Milton delays list.http://www.gotransit.com/publicroot/en/default.aspx

"Minor rail brake"...huh? 

We were also told on-board that they had to wait for "paperwork" before proceeding. Paperwork? 

It's March 1 and PRESTO delivers Transit Usage Reports on time

My name is not on the report. My PRESTO card number is on it which means because I file my taxes online, I will have to prove this report is mine by sending in a hard copy. I should get the letter around October. I get a letter every year from Revenue Canada asking for the report. Last year, they took issue with the fact that unlike years prior, my name was missing. After some back and forth, the claim was satisfied.

The amount shown for the Total e-Purse Trips lines up with my personal spreadsheet where I've tracked my trips for the year. This is the amount I will be claiming:

As for the whole "my name is missing, here's what PRESTOcard on Twitter had to say:

@PRESTOcard mmmm so what's the point of having the name field on the report of its not populated
— яaphael (@Realitytvbuff) March 2, 2015