innsertnamehere
Superstar
Because the TTC didn't agree to anything until 2012.
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cplchanb
Senior Member
what I cant understand is why they are taking so damn long just to install presto readers at the subway stations. They are pretty much the easiest of the systems to implement and yet not even half of the stations have it? How much more different is the wiring compared to a metropass reader? and besides theyve had ones in the major stations for years. Shouldnt they have been able to learn from those?? The more I read about this humiliation to our city the more I really think privatization is a better idea. At least the corporations have the incentive to make money in a timely manner rather than sit on their thumbs and claim ignorance all the time
TheTigerMaster
Superstar
It's coming to the point now where I'm [not so] seriously considering buying some a few thousand iPads, writing the software and deploying it across the TTC myself
ehlow
Senior Member
So what takes >2 years?
It's coming to the point now where I'm [not so] seriously considering buying some a few thousand iPads, writing the software and deploying it across the TTC myself
Hopefully you'll get paid to do that.
nfitz
Superstar
They are entirely new faregates. Not a single one has been installed yet. Here's the prototype a few months ago:
The wiring? It's a completely different gate, requiring a lot more than just the wiring.
They haven't installed any of the new gates yet. Metrolinx took it on themselves to install some temporary devices in a few stations where a lot of GO riders were expected to use, but they aren't designed to handle the kind of very frequent usage that TTC would have to handle. Would you prefer that they do something half-assed that's going to fail completely with the number of people you see arriving at TTC station at times?
I fail to see the link here between this, and privatization. A private company has the contract to design and install the new gates. I think you are severely underestimating what is involved here.
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ksun
Senior Member
the whole world has used it for ages. only in Toronto we pretend it is some sort of cutting-edge high-tech waiting to surprise people.
I am pretty embarassed every time I need to ask visiting friends to buy little tokens and drop into those antique fare boxes, lol.
TOareaFan
Superstar
and...in most instances line up to pay the man behind the glass with cash!
ksun
Senior Member
LOL. I don't really see it anywhere else where people line up to pay transit fare, and I have traveled to many cities.
Imagine this happens in Tokyo... by the time you get your token to go to work, it is already lunch hour.
We had the opportunity to leap from 1960 to 1990 yet nevertheless failed in doing that.
Is that Karen Stints showing voters with such pride and happiness the 1990 technology that Torontonians may have the luxury to enjoy in the next few years?
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AlvinofDiaspar
Moderator
Actually when you think about it, it is a certain segment of the riders who are behind the times - why do we insist on purchasing rides at the booth when electronic alternatives had been available for awhile? I think in this instance the availability of the service drove behaviour more than anything else.
AoD
ksun
Senior Member
What "electronic alternatives" do we have for taking the TTC (not GO)?
AlvinofDiaspar
Moderator
Er, swipe cards for passes? Token dispensing machines (I think these are being phased out)? Not to mention the fact that you have token distributers? There is really little reason for anyone to have to use the booth, other than for those who can't plan their trips ahead of time.
Quite frankly you can get away from the model of selling rides at the booth without any fancy system 99% of the time - all you need are change and vending machines.
AoD
Quite frankly you can get away from the model of selling rides at the booth without any fancy system 99% of the time - all you need are change and vending machines.
AoD
ehlow
Senior Member
He means that you can buy tickets or passes using the machine instead of talking to someone at the booth. That's what I do, I never use the booth.
However I think some people might need the booth in some cases (student/senior passes?)
TOareaFan
Superstar
If token vending machines are the leap into the future let me tell you my experience.....they are slow....are not very plentiful (so the line up to use them is as bad as lining up at the booth) don't accomodate the one time/spontanious user of system (as a tourist/visitor might be) because they only dispense mulitple tokens.....and, still, they don't accept any payment form other than cash! (in this case, specifically 10s and 20s).....my experience at other transit systems is that this would be (and should be) viewed as archaic.
AlvinofDiaspar
Moderator
I am not saying they are the "wave of the future" - I am saying that you will be dealing with a chunk of the population, who for whatever reason will default to the lowest tech method and go straight to the "human" system simply because it is available and preferred. Case in point - GO Transit and their ticket booths - significant penetration of Presto notwithstanding.
AoD
ksun
Senior Member
I see what you mean.
I actually use the booth and not the vending machine, you know why? Tokens are priced at $2.65 if you buy more than 3. I hate to carry a bunch of loonies, quarters and dimes/nickles, inaddition to a bunch of small, easy to lose tokens after using the vending machine, which only accepts $10 and $20 I guess, no exact changes. I am a guy and I normally don't carry a bag/purse. I live just by the subway station and always plan ahead to bring the exact amount of money for the number of tokens I need. With the booth, I don't need to have any changes.
As to passes, many don't use them, including me. I have never seen a city where monthly passes are priced at 51 times of single trip fare... I won't use it.
A fare card is not a "fancy system" by any stretch, even 10 years ago. In Shanghai, riders buy an IC card, load it with money, and tap in and out for each ride. When money runs out, you reload it at the machines in each subway stations (most stations don't have ticket sellers, those which do only have 1). It is super convenient. Money gets deducted and added instantly. has been like this since the 90s I believe, even since the first line started operating. All TTC needs is this kind of rather primitive technology. Why does one ever need to reload money online? Or use a cellphone to pay fare? Those functions are absolutely redundant.
If you are a visitor and only want to pay one or two fare, you can put coins into the machine and single fare ticket will be offer, at the same price. When you exit, the ticket is back to the system.
Isn't that sufficiently nice for Toronto?