GO Transit: Service thread (including extensions)

[wopchop]

Exactly what bullshit are you talking about? GO was neither at fault for the fatality(blame the trespasser) or the resulting delay(due to the police investigation - trains cannot proceed through the scene until the police have cleared us to do so). As for the bus-bridge, considering the number of spare buses and drivers they have available plus seeing as how they have to re-route them to an unplanned location, its never simple or quick to implement.

It's bullshit because for a lot of people, they were delayed by 2 - 3 hours. It doesn't matter if GO can't be blamed for the trespasser, or the police held the train for an hour and a half. At the end of the day, fault shouldn't matter. People paid fares and got nothing, essentially. GO is a public agency that we are all funding, and the least that could have been done was a full refund. When you are talking about more minor delays, then fine, assign fault and then decide, but this is a total breakdown in service. Not their fault, sure, but that's still what happened.

 

[TOareaFan]

^ my viewpoint is that the whole refund thing is crap.....it is a highly variable system with a lot of complexities and "stuff" happens....they should not have to refund at all. Does the TTC refund? Brampton Transit? Miway? etc.

They do their best to get people where they are going and as close to schedule as possible......and (IMO) they do a pretty good job in that regard.

For that reason I have never applied for a refund....I think it is a dumb idea brought on by some squeeky wheel complainers.

 

[Jonny5]

I got a refund for that incident. They said it did not qualify but was provided to me as a "customer service gesture"

IIRC it was after the seven days too.

Just to be clear, I filed this claim, and it was denied, but with the standard explanation that does not actually explain why it was denied. So I sent in a feedback form to GO from their website with all the details (my PRESTO card number, the claim number, where I got on , off, what announcements I heard, etc...) and they emailed back saying they would refund it.

 

[Jonny5]

^ my viewpoint is that the whole refund thing is crap.....it is a highly variable system with a lot of complexities and "stuff" happens....they should not have to refund at all. Does the TTC refund? Brampton Transit? Miway? etc.

They do their best to get people where they are going and as close to schedule as possible......and (IMO) they do a pretty good job in that regard.

For that reason I have never applied for a refund....I think it is a dumb idea brought on by some squeeky wheel complainers.

It's an incentive to the managers at GO to do things better. And they are.

Metrolinx's accounts payable department doesn't just blindly issue these refunds with no consequences. It's accountability. That's pretty hilarious you have never filed for a refund. I recouped almost $200 last year: all of it was because GO's management failed.

 

[vegeta_skyline]

It's bullshit because for a lot of people, they were delayed by 2 - 3 hours. It doesn't matter if GO can't be blamed for the trespasser, or the police held the train for an hour and a half. At the end of the day, fault shouldn't matter. People paid fares and got nothing, essentially. GO is a public agency that we are all funding, and the least that could have been done was a full refund. When you are talking about more minor delays, then fine, assign fault and then decide, but this is a total breakdown in service. Not their fault, sure, but that's still what happened.

Paid fares and got nothing? Did you forget that you got from point A to point B? That's not nothing and that's primarily what your paying for. Service is secondary to that aspect. If your not satisfied with the service there are other options. And as TO noted, this whole refund business is NOT something that other public services in the area do to begin with. Personally I think its a good idea if it can attract more riders and perhaps they could make the list more inclusive for things that are preventable in someway i.e engine failures or switch malfunctions.

But for a fatality? Give me a break. You want GO to fork over hundreds of thousands of dollars of lost revenue, which will result in an increased subsidiary from the government i.e the tax payers - that's right its not their money, its OUR MONEY. Just because you think that your somehow entitled to remuneration when delayed while using this specific mode of transit when some random asshole decides to either end his life that day or was just too stupid to realize the dangers of being around the tracks? Because that's what it amounts to.

 

[nfitz]

Paid fares and got nothing? Did you forget that you got from point A to point B? That's not nothing and that's primarily what your paying for. Service is secondary to that aspect. If your not satisfied with the service there are other options. And as TO noted, this whole refund business is NOT something that other public services in the area do to begin with. Personally I think its a good idea if it can attract more riders and perhaps they could make the list more inclusive for things that are preventable in someway i.e engine failures or switch malfunctions.

But for a fatality? Give me a break. You want GO to fork over hundreds of thousands of dollars of lost revenue, which will result in an increased subsidiary from the government i.e the tax payers - that's right its not their money, its OUR MONEY. Just because you think that your somehow entitled to remuneration when delayed while using this specific mode of transit when some random asshole decides to either end his life that day or was just too stupid to realize the dangers of being around the tracks? Because that's what it amounts to.

It's not unusual for other railways to give compensation to passengers who are stuck on vehicles for hours, even for delays outside of their control. It's simply considered a cost of doing business.

Sure, looking for compensation for a 15-minute delay under those circumstances seems wrong. But if you've had to spend 5 hours on a GO Train, trying to escape water snakes, then compensations seems reasonable, even if it was outside of GO's control.

 

[vegeta_skyline]

It's not unusual for other railways to give compensation to passengers who are stuck on vehicles for hours, even for delays outside of their control. It's simply considered a cost of doing business.

Sure, looking for compensation for a 15-minute delay under those circumstances seems wrong. But if you've had to spend 5 hours on a GO Train, trying to escape water snakes, then compensations seems reasonable, even if it was outside of GO's control.

And many commuter rail services don't even offer refunds for any reason period. No two services are alike. But gripping about not getting your money back after there's been a fatality? C'mon now, are you saying that is something you'd do as well nfitz? And why is it that people have a different expectation of GO verses other local services who don't even have a refund policy? Or for that matter - road users. Why not demand compensation for time lost stuck on public roadways due to congestion? Do we not pay significant fee's for the privilege of driving on them? Such a double standard. Bitching about GO just seems to be the 'in' thing to do these days.

 

[nfitz]

And many commuter rail services don't even offer refunds for any reason period. No two services are alike.

Some commuter rail services, you ride on the roof. As far as I know, most European commuter services, do provide refund for multi-hour delays.

But gripping about not getting your money back after there's been a fatality? C'mon now, are you saying that is something you'd do as well nfitz?

For a 15-minute delay? I certainly woudn't. Though I note the person in question wasn't denied because it wasn't a valid excuse. He was denied because he was outside the 7-day period. While other say they got this refund. Sounds more like a paperwork snafu.

And why is it that people have a different expectation of GO verses other local services who don't even have a refund policy?

As far as I know, anyone who approaches TTC Customer Service after having been trapped on a subway train for 2 hours gets a refund. The same way that 10 years ago, GO would send you a refund, if you complained about an hour+ delay - I had one back in 2002. They just didn't publicize it much.

 

[wopchop]

Vegeta, I get that you're an operator, but you are taking this a little too personally. I don't think it is unreasonable to expect a refund. You disagree. Ok.

Getting from point A to point B in 2 - 3 hours (or more, for a lot of people) for a trip that should normally take 1/4 to 1/3 that time, simply isn't reasonable. You can say that service is secondary to that aspect, but I think that attitude is a problem, and is partially why railways try to implement these types of policies. It encourages management to attempt to maintain on-time standards (which GO is very good at doing, I'll admit). Obviously, in the case that I'm talking about, that doesn't make a difference because it was an accident. In exceptional cases, yes, I think that they should offer full refunds. I know that they refunded passengers stuck on the flooded trains last year. GO Transit isn't at fault for the weather, are they? Why is that case different than this case?

I've never tried to get a refund from the TTC, but for exceptional delays (ie. Yonge line shutdown, time to dump thousands of travelers at the closest subway station), then yes, I believe that they should be offering refunds.

Though I note the person in question wasn't denied because it wasn't a valid excuse. He was denied because he was outside the 7-day period. While other say they got this refund. Sounds more like a paperwork snafu.
.

To be clear, I received the response that my request was denied after the 7-day period had expired. So, the request couldn't even be resubmitted. Unless I called, I suppose, but it really isn't that much money and I'm honestly not too worried about it. It is more the principle of the matter.

 

[vegeta_skyline]

Vegeta, I get that you're an operator, but you are taking this a little too personally. I don't think it is unreasonable to expect a refund. You disagree. Ok.

Maybe your right in that respect... and I suppose it really just boils down to a matter of opinion. Aside from that my concern also is that there are a LOT of fatalities year round. If everyone that was effected by them asked for a refund that would add up to a lot of money. Ultimately one of two things are going to happen, either the tax payers will be footing that bill via increased subsidiary or the users are going to pay for it via a fare hike. Hey if people didn't mind paying higher fares to cover the costs of that service I probably wouldn't be so bothered by it. But what will end up happening is the costs will be shared between fare hikes and a subsidiary. On top of that its never pleasant to just be doing my job and have passengers accost me about the fare hike they just got hit with, considering we have very little to do with it. Though I feel much worse for the CSA's who get it all day long.

 

[drum118]

I was offer a full refund for my overnight train ride between Berlin and Amsterdam after my train broke down and spent 6 hours waiting for new power. No good to me since I was using a rail pass and very little in the way of refund.

I had another delay on a trip that I paid for and was offer 50% of the cost back and not worth the time.

There needs to be a refund policy as it help the system operator to make sure that riders come first and to make sure the system is up to par. There are times when Metrolinx has no control over things as they are handle by CN or CP in the first place. Metrolinx has only gain control rail lines and it going to take time to bring tracks, switches and signals up to their standard and that going to take years.

If I back charge TTC for all the delays and being late for things, I would be swimming in a pool of money.

I would do a 2 step procedure to make sure my refund request meets the time limit. By doing so, you will know one of the 2 steps will be received on time to the point both maybe received on time.

Bottom line people time is importance and it something that can never be recover. Therefore, you want people to use you system and keep them happy and on board, do a refund.

 

[nfitz]

On top of that its never pleasant to just be doing my job and have passengers accost me about the fare hike they just got hit with, considering we have very little to do with it.

I'm curious when the train driver's interact with passengers. I don't think I've ever seen it happen, other than waving through the window (yes, that's my son standing at the playground just west of Woodbine waving at the trains). Is this something that happens at terminals?

I'm surprised anyone would mention fare increases ...

 

[vegeta_skyline]

I'm curious when the train driver's interact with passengers. I don't think I've ever seen it happen, other than waving through the window (yes, that's my son standing at the playground just west of Woodbine waving at the trains). Is this something that happens at terminals?

I'm surprised anyone would mention fare increases ...

Depends on the time of day and train. It's not a frequent occurrence and it doesn't happen while operating which is what we do most of the time but not all. Though I've had people re:drunks try to force their way in, oh the stories I could tell, if your surprised by people making comments you'd be down right shocked by some of the stuff I've seen/heard about/dealt with over the years on the GO. Anyways, there is a fair amount of time at turn around locations and for many trains Union station were crews go down to the concourse to grab something and during certain situations when walking through the train or deadheading. Now is the time of year when fare hikes are a 'hot topic'. Most comments are indirect/overheard but I've gotten a few direct comments over the years. I don't even respond and it comes with the territory, but obviously I don't appreciate it.

 

[Electrify]

I believe that those on the Richmond Hill train that got flooded a couple of years ago got refunds.

Remember a few months ago when that jumper caused people to be stuck in a rush hour train for an hour, before someone competent got it evacuated? Personally they should have been handing out tokens to people as they unboarded the train. But being the TTC, I doubt it.

 

[nfitz]

Depends on the time of day and train. It's not a frequent occurrence and it doesn't happen while operating which is what we do most of the time but not all. Though I've had people re:drunks try to force they way in, oh the stories I could tell, if your surprised by people making comments you'd be down right shocked by some of the stuff I've seen/heard about/dealt with over the years on the GO. Anyways, there is a fair amount of time at turn around locations and for many trains Union station were crews go down to the concourse to grab something and during certain situations when walking through the train or deadheading. Now is the time of year when fare hikes are a 'hot topic'. Most comments are indirect/overheard but I've gotten a few direct comments over the years. I don't even respond and it comes with the territory, but obviously I don't appreciate it.

Thanks for the reply! Oh, I could probably believe some of the stories, given I have to ride with the same nutters. Though I tend to find the real nutcases on TTC, rather than GO.