TTC launches 'e-alerts' for riders

[borgo100]

Jan 14, 2009 11:00 AM

Tess Kalinowski
Transportation reporter

A new TTC service will now let riders know when the train or the SRT is going to be delayed or closed.

Starting today, riders can subscribe to the TTC's e-alerts to receive an email telling them whether they should walk rather than run to the next subway station.

The TTC is already working to expand the alerts to its bus and streetcar system and to deliver the alerts via text message. Eventually riders will be able to receive messages customized to their own routes, stations and preferred travel times.

The e-alerts are the latest in a wave of information services being rolled out by the TTC to help riders better plan their trips.

In December, the TTC launched subway and streetcar platform signs that give riders real-time information on the arrival of the next vehicle. Those signs will continue to be rolled out at transit shelters and stations across the city. Later this year, the TTC plans to launch an on-line trip planner and on-line sales of Metropasses.

TTC chair Adam Giambrone says the information will help riders better plan whether they want to delay their trip, take another route or opt for a cab.

Riders can subscribe to e-alerts immediately at TTC.ca

 

[Dilla]

why aren't they going to be called just "e-lerts". It's right there for the taking.

 

[Anth]

Hopefully this'll be nothing like GO Transit's e-news, which notifies you of a stalled train about an hour after being stuck behind it all night.

 

[wyliepoon]

Anybody sign up for this yet? I signed up just before noon today with my work email. I was told by the TTC site that I would get a confirmation email shortly after I registered, but I got nothing in my mailbox all afternoon.

My company's spam blocker might have blocked the confirmation message but I'm quite sure that it would tell me that the message was blocked.

 

[nfitz]

Worked fine for me ...

 

[jks]

why aren't they going to be called just "e-lerts". It's right there for the taking.

I second this, why must the TTC always have awkward names for things:
-Transit City (yeah, it is stupid, you're just used to it)
-Eglinton Crosstown (fails at being for crosstown trips)
-Finch W Etobicoke (does it really need to clarify)
-Blue Night Bus Routes (Why is blue emphasized)
-e-alerts (come on, how do you even pronounce that)

 

[taal]

e-alerts is pretty darn easy to pronounce ...

Really nitpicking here......

 

[jks]

well, ok, yeah, I was overly exaggerating, but I'm saying something like e-lerts has a much better flow to it.

 

[Bloor West Villager]

I'm starting to get several of these a day... is service really that dysfunctional?

 

[taal]

I was about to most something along those lines...

You know what, I have a feeling these are regular occurrences that have been on going for quite a while and we usually don't here about them!!

Can someone correct me if I'm wrong?

What we see is service closures on part of the Yonge or Bloor line (usually only a few stations) and they only last for 30min - 1 hour.

The other thing, e-alerts does not email you when a problem has been resolved only when it starts (I think a lot of people are confused about this). You need to go to www.ttc.ca to check if the problem still exists.

Over the last while most of the problems you've received emails about have lasted 30min!

 

[drum118]

I'm starting to get several of these a day... is service really that dysfunctional?

Yes.

Every train for the last week that I have been on has had problems to the point it has added an extra 10 minute to my travel. This doesn't cover the mess on Friday where I took the GO train from Bloor to Union. I don't think the train crew has every seen that many riders get on a train at that time of day. Over 3 dozens of use. We all got a free ride as none of GO machines were working.

Last night we took a trip through Davisvalle yard and did not stop at the station since we were 2 tracks away. This was after waiting for close to 3 minute for the train to open its doors at Eglinton. About a minute later after the doors open, we were told to get off as the train was going out of service. Crush load getting on an crush load for the next train. There was a train on the southbound with no lights on at the platform.

There was even a problem on the BD after I change over.

Same case today.

 

[DSCToronto]

The TTC has now set up a way to specify which routes you wish to be alerted about - a great improvement and a sure way to reduce email! You need to either subscribe or sign-in to modify your profile and, if like me, you have forgotten both user name and password both can be emailed to you. Go to: https://www3.ttc.ca/user/loginPage.action