Minister Del Duca announces all-day #GOtrain service to #Niagara in 2021 pic.twitter.com/Q7fH852wve
— GNCC Advocacy (@GNCCadvocacy) June 28, 2016
Wednesday, June 29, 2016
He's great for photo ops. That's about it.
Is Burlington GO Station an indication of what we can expect when construction begins on the GO expansion into Niagara and eastern Durham Region?
Can workers from the new condo being built, help the stalled #BurlON #GOTrain stn? 18 mths ago. pic same pic.twitter.com/R1TAwX75zV
— WarningU2 (@WarningU2) June 29, 2016
3.1 km from my home is a magic bus stop that takes people to Oshawa GO in 13 minutes
I had no idea. No CSR from Durham Transit told me about this option. I just used the route I was first given when I moved into the neighbourhood in 2014.
I feel like I'm in a parallel universe.
I took the new route this morning - a route that has always been available in Courtice. I left the house at 6:25. I was at the Oshawa GO Station at 6:59 am. First bus 6:30. Second bus 6:46. The ride from the transfer stop was 13 minutes.
Prior to this morning, I spent 45 minutes getting to Oshawa GO.
I was on the 7:03 train this morning. This means I can leave earlier and take the 4:30 express which means I will be home by 6pm instead of 6:30!
I owe all this to a kind person who works for Durham Region Transit who texted me last night. Thank you.
I feel like I'm in a parallel universe.
I took the new route this morning - a route that has always been available in Courtice. I left the house at 6:25. I was at the Oshawa GO Station at 6:59 am. First bus 6:30. Second bus 6:46. The ride from the transfer stop was 13 minutes.
Prior to this morning, I spent 45 minutes getting to Oshawa GO.
I was on the 7:03 train this morning. This means I can leave earlier and take the 4:30 express which means I will be home by 6pm instead of 6:30!
I owe all this to a kind person who works for Durham Region Transit who texted me last night. Thank you.
Tuesday, June 28, 2016
So you think all that feedback from yesterday's shit show will accomplish anything?
Black holes vis-à-vis communicating
with GO Transit
Special
to This Crazy Train
By
GO Voyageur
One
of my submissions to TCT elicited the
following comment from Anonymous (November
6, 2015 at 9:01 AM):
“Um... it's up to the bus
drivers to clean the buses so if there's such a concern for health, they
obviously don't care about their own, never mind passengers? And also has
anyone written to GO directly to complain or is putting it on the internet the
norm now?”
I
believe enough commenters addressed Anonymous’
first concern. Allow me to speak to the
latter.
I
could have contacted GO Transit directly by any of the following channels:
- Customer Comment Form
- Telephone: 1-888-GET-ON-GO (438-6646)
- Send e-mail to Customer Relations: CustomerRelations@gotransit.com
- Send e-mail to the president: greg.percy@gotransit.com
The
problem with all those interactions is they lack transparency. “Putting it on the internet” helps to level
the playing field between corporations and consumers. Is it a perfect solution? No.
But, ask CJ about some classic shootouts
at the Twitter corral that attempted to make
things right for Metrolinx customers.
On
Twitter, I engage @GOtransit on matters of interest to the corporation and
possibly other commuters. Often, my
feedback GOes nowhere. Here are some
examples:
Regarding the matter of removing timetables from bus stops on Route 12 without advance notice from GO Transit, I’m still waiting for @femwriter’s “team” to respond. UPDATE: After much negative feedback from drivers and the survey Tell us how you use GO Transit's schedules! (Let GO Know), timetables were reposted for the spring board period (2016/04/02). However, no one from “the team” ever replied to me.
Matt Baynie, VP of Operations, replaced Paul Finnerty in March 2015, but the INFO-GO Web page wasn’t updated. As of this writing, the Web page still contains stale data. Why? After the shit show of Monday, June 27, I would hazard a guess that a few passengers had a desire to ring some of those telephone numbers.
Regarding the matter of removing timetables from bus stops on Route 12 without advance notice from GO Transit, I’m still waiting for @femwriter’s “team” to respond. UPDATE: After much negative feedback from drivers and the survey Tell us how you use GO Transit's schedules! (Let GO Know), timetables were reposted for the spring board period (2016/04/02). However, no one from “the team” ever replied to me.
Matt Baynie, VP of Operations, replaced Paul Finnerty in March 2015, but the INFO-GO Web page wasn’t updated. As of this writing, the Web page still contains stale data. Why? After the shit show of Monday, June 27, I would hazard a guess that a few passengers had a desire to ring some of those telephone numbers.
I
have sent positive feedback to GO Transit via Twitter. The following two incidents are examples:
On Sunday, September 13, the 10:27 bus from Niagara Falls discharged passengers at Burlington GO station’s platform 14. A passenger with a white cane exited the bus and stood there waiting. After the last passenger left the bus, the driver approached the gentleman, took him by the arm, and guided him into the station so he could catch his train. Later, the driver told me the bus previously let passengers off at platform 12, and the gentleman had become accustomed to counting the steps into the station from there. Platform 14 was new territory for him and he required assistance. The driver was happy to oblige. I felt the least I could do was share the experience with @GOtransit.
On Friday, September 25, I was at the St. Catharines bus stop waiting for the Burlington bound bus. The 12:54 bus from Burlington to Niagara Falls arrived and discharged passengers. The driver noted the volume of customers GOing the other way and offered to sell tickets to those people so as to expedite loading of the other bus when it arrived. He didn’t have to do this, but he knew the bus to Burlington was running late. Again, I felt the least I could do was share the experience with @GOtransit.
I get upset when I submit a commendation for frontline staff, it’s acknowledged by customer relations personnel, but it is not acted on by those higher up in the organization. As of this writing, senior management has not communicated my commendations to either driver. Shame!
On Sunday, September 13, the 10:27 bus from Niagara Falls discharged passengers at Burlington GO station’s platform 14. A passenger with a white cane exited the bus and stood there waiting. After the last passenger left the bus, the driver approached the gentleman, took him by the arm, and guided him into the station so he could catch his train. Later, the driver told me the bus previously let passengers off at platform 12, and the gentleman had become accustomed to counting the steps into the station from there. Platform 14 was new territory for him and he required assistance. The driver was happy to oblige. I felt the least I could do was share the experience with @GOtransit.
On Friday, September 25, I was at the St. Catharines bus stop waiting for the Burlington bound bus. The 12:54 bus from Burlington to Niagara Falls arrived and discharged passengers. The driver noted the volume of customers GOing the other way and offered to sell tickets to those people so as to expedite loading of the other bus when it arrived. He didn’t have to do this, but he knew the bus to Burlington was running late. Again, I felt the least I could do was share the experience with @GOtransit.
I get upset when I submit a commendation for frontline staff, it’s acknowledged by customer relations personnel, but it is not acted on by those higher up in the organization. As of this writing, senior management has not communicated my commendations to either driver. Shame!
I
asked CJ whether she or the author of a
TCT story in June of 2015 had received a
response from the president of GO Transit.
The answer was no. If Greg Percy
won’t respond to customers, where is the motivation for his subordinates do so? The Sunshine
List in action, or is that inaction?
Anonymous,
do you understand now why putting it on the internet is the norm? Because communicating with GO Transit is like
a black hole — customer feedback goes in and nothing returns.
Monday, June 27, 2016
What was your favourite thing about this morning's mess? This was mine
@JenInRGB @ThisCrazyTrain Thank you for bringing that to our attention, I will notify the team to have the schedule issue fixed. ^IZ— GO Transit (@GOtransit) June 27, 2016
Friday, June 24, 2016
Had I been asked to speak, I would have said something like …
SPECIAL TO THIS CRAZY TRAIN
by Anonymous
Let me start by saying funerals make me uncomfortable. I’m never sure whether the words I offer bereaved family members are sufficiently adequate to bring any comfort in the aftermath of a death. Such was the case today, June 23, when I attended services for retired GO Transit driver Garnet "Garney" Thompson.
The visitation and memorial service were lovely. There were memory boards with photographs of Garney and his family through the years, as well as his achievements as a driver with GO Transit. One of the photos — of a much younger Garney — touched me. Why? Because he wore the same facial expression that ended a discussion on my last trip with him.
During that trip last autumn, Garney told me of his desire to retire. He told me he'd been in the saddle long enough — forty-one years total with TTC, Gray Coach, and GO Transit. He related to me not only his first trip with GO Transit, but also the genesis of Bus Ops.
I reciprocated by beginning to share with Garney my first trip with him from Burlington to St. Catharines one sunny Sunday afternoon in June 2011, but before I got very far, he cut me off with a terse "I don't work weekends!"
Undaunted, I continued my tale. I related to Garney details of that day — details that only he would know. I finished with, "Are you certain you've never worked on a weekend?"
As we came to a stop at a red traffic light, Garney cocked his head in my direction, and gave a sly smile — the same facial expression he had in the photo positioned in the lower right corner of the first memory board. I winked in return. No more was said on the matter.
My lasting memory of Garney is that he had a kind heart. I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to toast him and congratulate him on his retirement.
This Sunday marks the fifth anniversary of the day I first met Garney. May he rest in peace.
by Anonymous
Let me start by saying funerals make me uncomfortable. I’m never sure whether the words I offer bereaved family members are sufficiently adequate to bring any comfort in the aftermath of a death. Such was the case today, June 23, when I attended services for retired GO Transit driver Garnet "Garney" Thompson.
The visitation and memorial service were lovely. There were memory boards with photographs of Garney and his family through the years, as well as his achievements as a driver with GO Transit. One of the photos — of a much younger Garney — touched me. Why? Because he wore the same facial expression that ended a discussion on my last trip with him.
During that trip last autumn, Garney told me of his desire to retire. He told me he'd been in the saddle long enough — forty-one years total with TTC, Gray Coach, and GO Transit. He related to me not only his first trip with GO Transit, but also the genesis of Bus Ops.
I reciprocated by beginning to share with Garney my first trip with him from Burlington to St. Catharines one sunny Sunday afternoon in June 2011, but before I got very far, he cut me off with a terse "I don't work weekends!"
Undaunted, I continued my tale. I related to Garney details of that day — details that only he would know. I finished with, "Are you certain you've never worked on a weekend?"
As we came to a stop at a red traffic light, Garney cocked his head in my direction, and gave a sly smile — the same facial expression he had in the photo positioned in the lower right corner of the first memory board. I winked in return. No more was said on the matter.
My lasting memory of Garney is that he had a kind heart. I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to toast him and congratulate him on his retirement.
This Sunday marks the fifth anniversary of the day I first met Garney. May he rest in peace.
Thursday, June 23, 2016
She must be important
@GOtransit @ThisCrazyTrain @GOChronicles
— Kylo Jen (@JenInRGB) June 22, 2016
Seriously. It's rush hour.
A whole quad.
Dedicated to being her office. pic.twitter.com/cQIBONl5ky
Wednesday, June 22, 2016
What a disgusting human being
Suspect charged after woman spat on, has hijab pulled in London, Ont. supermarkethttps://t.co/xiH9Nhf5Gf pic.twitter.com/QuiYi1ELlV
— CityNews Toronto (@CityNews) June 22, 2016
Before you make mince of our 1-stop subway plan, please look at an artist's rendering of how great it will be. #TTC pic.twitter.com/EqyGWTBz3J
— TTCwelps (@TTCwelps) June 22, 2016
Came for a fight - got owned
Two women boarded my bus last night after - judging by their conversation - spending some time at a visitation at a nearby funeral home. Whoever died was young, and predeceased by a parent. Lots of comments about how she is with her father now. God will take care of her ... and other sentiments made by those who have faith in the afterlife and Heaven.
Enter asshole chainsmoker (ACS) in the cut-off jeans. He starts mumbling at first and then gets louder as the women's conversation continues. Eventually he pipes up asking them to "shut up about Jesus and God" and "all the other lies about where people go when they die".
These ladies weren't talking loudly. I could hear them because they were directly behind me. ACS was in a seat directly beside them. One of the women told him to mind his own business and suggested his mother would be ashamed of him if she heard how he talked to a complete stranger. He fires back with "my mom fucking taught me to speak my mind."
The woman would have none of it. She pulls out her phone and asks ACS for his mother's phone number so she can call her herself and discuss the situation. ACS tells her she's crazy. She tells him he needs to "grow a pair and man up to his lies." At the front of the bus, you could see the driver slowly lean over searching for her bag of popcorn.
He mumbles something and tells them he doesn't need to listen to them anymore. Both women suggest he take another bus. He just rolls his eyes and tells them to call Jesus. Weak. He exited the bus before me.
When I got off at my stop I told the women I thought they handled ACS beautifully. They both laughed and one mentioned she's a retired high school teacher - this was nothing, she says.
No doubt.
Enter asshole chainsmoker (ACS) in the cut-off jeans. He starts mumbling at first and then gets louder as the women's conversation continues. Eventually he pipes up asking them to "shut up about Jesus and God" and "all the other lies about where people go when they die".
These ladies weren't talking loudly. I could hear them because they were directly behind me. ACS was in a seat directly beside them. One of the women told him to mind his own business and suggested his mother would be ashamed of him if she heard how he talked to a complete stranger. He fires back with "my mom fucking taught me to speak my mind."
The woman would have none of it. She pulls out her phone and asks ACS for his mother's phone number so she can call her herself and discuss the situation. ACS tells her she's crazy. She tells him he needs to "grow a pair and man up to his lies." At the front of the bus, you could see the driver slowly lean over searching for her bag of popcorn.
He mumbles something and tells them he doesn't need to listen to them anymore. Both women suggest he take another bus. He just rolls his eyes and tells them to call Jesus. Weak. He exited the bus before me.
When I got off at my stop I told the women I thought they handled ACS beautifully. They both laughed and one mentioned she's a retired high school teacher - this was nothing, she says.
No doubt.
Is the surprise a fine? Polkaroo should know better
Caught up with Polkeroo @GOtransit at Rougehill. Has he got a surprise coming soon.Stay tuned. pic.twitter.com/gsT18kAMcD
— Peter Mohyla (@GOMohyla80) June 17, 2016
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