TTC: Other Items (catch all)

[smallspy]

I believe they schedule crew changes at all those stations to stagger the dwell time across the entire line so there isn't a chokepoint at Coxwell.

No, they don't.

On the B-D, the only crew change point is at Coxwell. Crews taking trains out of the yard have to make their way to Greenwood - their schedule allows for this - to grab their train from the build-up. On the YUS, the crew change point has varied over the past couple of years, but seems to be settling down at Downsview. They also almost never schedule sequential trains to change crews.

If the crew gets off of the train at any other station, they are swapping with another crew going the other direction in an attempt to try and keep both crews closer to their shift times (and to try and minimize or eliminate overtime). (There is the odd occasion when this is done for equipment reasons, but it's so uncommon that it really doesn't deserve much of a mention.) The TTC had been trying to cut down on this over the past year or two, but with the advent of the loss of overtime scheduling I suspect that we're going to see a big return to it over the next couple of days.

Dan
Toronto, Ont.

 

[muller877]

A few years back when I used to take line 2 a lot more often in the evenings, they'll have crew changes Lansdowne, High Park, Runnymede and if the PAA was activated with a 5-10 min delay, Islington too. It's ridiculous they can change crews three times from Yonge to Kipling. There is zero consideration for the so called "customers". All they cared about is to get the crews at the relief point at Coxwell back on time because they're late and they'll make the riders later.

On line 2 DO NOT travel around 8pm. Almost guaranteed a crew change. Add Bathurst to this list of stations.

I have a buddy in a unionized delivery company (he is a driver). His contract permits a day to go anywhere from 7 to 9 hours. If it is over 9 hours for a day (or 44 for the week) he gets time and 1/2. And he's guaranteed at least 40 hours of pay a week (if his actual time is under the company can carryforward the credit).

I hope by the next union negotiation the laws are changed so that the arbitrator has to look at equivalent private and public companies total compensation and terms of service. Would love for the TTC to demand private company terms on their workers to allow for better customer service (i.e. no crew changes)

 

[Richard White]

On line 2 DO NOT travel around 8pm. Almost guaranteed a crew change. Add Bathurst to this list of stations.

I have a buddy in a unionized delivery company (he is a driver). His contract permits a day to go anywhere from 7 to 9 hours. If it is over 9 hours for a day (or 44 for the week) he gets time and 1/2. And he's guaranteed at least 40 hours of pay a week (if his actual time is under the company can carryforward the credit).

I hope by the next union negotiation the laws are changed so that the arbitrator has to look at equivalent private and public companies total compensation and terms of service. Would love for the TTC to demand private company terms on their workers to allow for better customer service (i.e. no crew changes)

Yeaaaaaa no. The trains have to change crews somewhere otherwise you have to pull trains from service so they can head to the yard and change crews. It is not a 2 minute crew change when the trains are diverted to the yard. Also.. you would have to reduce service at points in order to do so.

 

[Northern Light]

On line 2 DO NOT travel around 8pm. Almost guaranteed a crew change. Add Bathurst to this list of stations.

I have a buddy in a unionized delivery company (he is a driver). His contract permits a day to go anywhere from 7 to 9 hours. If it is over 9 hours for a day (or 44 for the week) he gets time and 1/2. And he's guaranteed at least 40 hours of pay a week (if his actual time is under the company can carryforward the credit).

I hope by the next union negotiation the laws are changed so that the arbitrator has to look at equivalent private and public companies total compensation and terms of service. Would love for the TTC to demand private company terms on their workers to allow for better customer service (i.e. no crew changes)

You proposed to handle washroom breaks how, by requiring the use of diapers? Shall Uber-Eats run meals in to the trains?

You have to be trolling. Operators need to be pulled off from time to time if you expect the vehicle to keep moving.

Shifts are also chunked because services levels vary between rush-hour and non-rush hour.

Trains are dropping to one-person operation (no more guards) over the next couple of years.

Once full-ATC is up and running and platform-edge doors are in (its coming, but not yet funded), expect operator-less trains, but that's a decade (or more) in the offing.

Until then, I'm afraid you'll have to endure non-slave labour.

 

[muller877]

You proposed to handle washroom breaks how, by requiring the use of diapers? Shall Uber-Eats run meals in to the trains?

You have to be trolling. Operators need to be pulled off from time to time if you expect the vehicle to keep moving.

Shifts are also chunked because services levels vary between rush-hour and non-rush hour.

Trains are dropping to one-person operation (no more guards) over the next couple of years.

Once full-ATC is up and running and platform-edge doors are in (its coming, but not yet funded), expect operator-less trains, but that's a decade (or more) in the offing.

Until then, I'm afraid you'll have to endure non-slave labour.

Why can they not start/end their shift at the end of the line if they are not the last run of the day?
And have their washroom/coffee/smoke break at the end of the line?
When you say shifts are chunked should they not all be staggered by 3 minutes even if it is at rush hour?

Basically the operator gets off his train and then waits for the second train to start again. Sufficient time for a coffee and a washroom break.

For those that start at the terminal and end at the end of the line you will have to pay then to get back to the starting point (15-20 minutes max). There may be a fairly efficient mode of transportation right nearby to do so!

You may think of it as slave labour but it is not. This is how most private firms operate and the attitude that its slavery is similar to the entitlement beliefs that many civil servants have.

 

[amnesiajune]

BBD run many of the trains for GO Transit and there seem to be lots of 'operational issues' that cause delays there. In fact BBD are being 'excluded' from bidding again.

Bombardier does a really good job with avoiding delays on Go Transit. Their being excluded is related to the LRV issues, not Go Transit. (That's the obvious reason at least - Go Transit has some stupid excuse that might actually hold up in court when they get sued, unlike that one.)

 

[Richard White]

Why can they not start/end their shift at the end of the line if they are not the last run of the day?
And have their washroom/coffee/smoke break at the end of the line?
When you say shifts are chunked should they not all be staggered by 3 minutes even if it is at rush hour?

Basically the operator gets off his train and then waits for the second train to start again. Sufficient time for a coffee and a washroom break.

For those that start at the terminal and end at the end of the line you will have to pay then to get back to the starting point (15-20 minutes max). There may be a fairly efficient mode of transportation right nearby to do so!

You may think of it as slave labour but it is not. This is how most private firms operate and the attitude that its slavery is similar to the entitlement beliefs that many civil servants have.

The reason they swap crews at Coxwell simply put is because Danforth Garage is there. There is no sense in changing crews at Kipling when you have to pay them to come back to Coxwell anyway. It is the same reason that crews change at Wilson on Line 1.

The reasons crews change direction at other points is because they need to get back to the yard on time. If they are running late, they can switch trains at places like High Park to get back to the yard or division on time.

 

[Northern Light]

Why can they not start/end their shift at the end of the line if they are not the last run of the day?
And have their washroom/coffee/smoke break at the end of the line?
When you say shifts are chunked should they not all be staggered by 3 minutes even if it is at rush hour?

Basically the operator gets off his train and then waits for the second train to start again. Sufficient time for a coffee and a washroom break.

For those that start at the terminal and end at the end of the line you will have to pay then to get back to the starting point (15-20 minutes max). There may be a fairly efficient mode of transportation right nearby to do so!

You may think of it as slave labour but it is not. This is how most private firms operate and the attitude that its slavery is similar to the entitlement beliefs that many civil servants have.

As someone is an employer, an investor, has never worked for government, nor been paid overtime, nor been a member of a union, I can assure I have no time for 'entitlement' where by that we mean a love of arbitrary or capricious rules, or an overly officious sense of how things should be done.

However, I do believe in reasonable working conditions. I would never pay someone less than $20 per hour to do anything, I don't believe anyone should have less than 3 weeks vacation in a year, I don't think anyone should have to work 12 hour days, or go without reasonable meal or washroom breaks.

That you seem to feel these things are ok, is not in any way reasonable to me.

***

Yes, washroom breaks can and should be addressed through stand-back crew changes (which is what you described in terms of having another crew ready to go). The TTC already does this in some situations. There is still a time lapse. On trains, last I saw, you still had a key in to activate the cab, the operator likely has a jacket and maybe a bag hanging behind their seat. They have to stop the train, turn the key, grab their stuff, open their door, get out of the seat, next operator has to take their jacket off, hang their bag up, close the door, take a seat, insert key. You won't drop this to under 60s no matter how diligent the crew. In the case of trains with a guard, the doors also require a key, but the guard will likely put their stuff in a cab prior to taking up their spot at a window in the 4th car.

If you think TTC staff have it so easy, read up.

https://www.reddit.com/r/toronto/comments/4nxlfd/iama_former_ttc_operator_ama_long_text/

May I add, your lack of empathy for workers if your own form of entitlement.

A rather off-putting one at that.

 

[muller877]

If you think TTC staff have it so easy, read up.

https://www.reddit.com/r/toronto/comments/4nxlfd/iama_former_ttc_operator_ama_long_text/

May I add, your lack of empathy for workers if your own form of entitlement.

A rather off-putting one at that.

The average short to medium haul trucker in Ontario makes $21 an hour. No paid sick leave. No paid emergency leave. No pension plan. And their work shifts are often worse than the TTC.

The average TTC driver makes $60 per hour including all the fringe benefits.

Yes, there is crummy parts to the job. But no worse than other blue-collar jobs. And much better than most transportation related jobs.

 

[dowlingm]

Indeed, though TTC management is certainly not always as competent as one would want I am not sure turning over part of their empire to a private contractor would be any more efficient. BBD is a private company and we all know how incompetent THEIR management is from the streetcar fiasco!

Muller877 also mentions BBD and GO. BBD run many of the trains for GO Transit and there seem to be lots of 'operational issues' that cause delays there. In fact BBD are being 'excluded' from bidding again. See https://www.cp24.com/news/metrolinx-to-shut-bombardier-out-of-bid-to-operate-go-trains-1.3514220

There was a later agreement done which extended Bombardier's contract by 18 months. https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/metrolinx-to-slash-its-bombardier-order-by-more-than-half-1.950186 I can't find the reference but I *thought* the exclusion of Bombardier from the new tender had also been set aside.

 

[Northern Light]

The average short to medium haul trucker in Ontario makes $21 an hour. No paid sick leave. No paid emergency leave. No pension plan. And their work shifts are often worse than the TTC.

The average TTC driver makes $60 per hour including all the fringe benefits.

Yes, there is crummy parts to the job. But no worse than other blue-collar jobs. And much better than most transportation related jobs.

Putting aside that trucking will be substantially automated within a decade; did it occur to you that the answer to the inequity you state is improving conditions for long-haul truckers, rather than making them worse for TTC staff?

 

[DSC]

Steve Munro has just posted this 2018 chart of when the TTC expects to have pantographs in use.

It seems an amazingly slow roll-out for something that was supposed to be used after the original Car 60 was delivered. I am particularly surprised by King 504 as most of the route will be done earlier as it is shared with other (earlier) routes like 514 and 505.

 

[Richard White]

Steve Munro has just posted this 2018 chart of when the TTC expects to have pantographs in use.

View attachment 141970

It seems an amazingly slow roll-out for something that was supposed to be used after the original Car 60 was delivered. I am particularly surprised by King 504 as most of the route will be done earlier as it is shared with other (earlier) routes like 514 and 505.

Personally I am more surprised that the 501 is last as all 3 carhouses are on Queen. You would think it would be a priority.

 

[DSC]

Personally I am more surprised that the 501 is last as all 3 carhouses are on Queen. You would think it would be a priority.

Though it is certainly a slow roll-out, the 501 being last made some sense to me as it appears to be "the ends" of the route (TTC's longest) that are last. The central parts will be done sooner because they are shared with other routes..

 

[amnesiajune]

The average TTC driver makes $60 per hour including all the fringe benefits.

This is a pants-on-fire lie. Senior TTC drivers make around $33 an hour. The benefits don't add up to $60 unless you're milking every single health benefit that's offered (which you can't do without committing a fair bit of fraud). The pension used to be valuable but if you join now you just get a DC pension, which is basically your employer matching contributions to a locked-in RRSP.