This week’s topic:
Should TransLink retrofit buses to prevent the “double transit fee”?
There’s nothing quite like waking up in the suburbs of Surrey and smelling the aroma of fresh steer manure that’s just been spread on the fields. Or is that the smell of TransLink’s regular bungling, inspiring the creation of my new Twitter hashtag: #faregatefollies? Forgive me the comparison, but it’s becoming increasingly difficult to tell the difference between steer manure and public relations announcements from TransLink.
The latest debacle is the revelation that TransLink executives received four-to-five digit pay increases last year. It comes at an inopportune time, as TransLink tries to defend the costly fare gates and service cuts, all while claiming they need more funding. It’s hard to claim poverty and hand out hefty executive pay raises.
Many believe the cost of the fare gates in terms of installation, upkeep and maintenance will exceed the costs of fare evasion. Fare gates might never pay for themselves and their performance has yet to be tested with the demands of kids going back to school and people going back to work after the end of summer vacations.
The Compass Card is a barrier to transit for anyone without a bank account, without regular computer access, without the ability to get to a location that loads cards, or for those who don’t have enough money to buy and load cards in advance. TransLink says 6,000 people pay cash daily, but would not provide me with documentation to support that when asked…
Read the rest of this weeks column, and leave your comments before you vote for who you think should win this weeks Duel at http://vancouver.24hrs.ca/2013/08/18/compass-system-shows-translink-has-again-lost-its-way
*** Some additional details on the entire #faregatefollies story and a bit of history on how we ended up with them can be found at the following links:
http://bc.ctvnews.ca/translink-nixed-9m-solution-for-double-charging-problem-1.1413423
http://pacificgazette.blogspot.ca/2013/08/the-boxing-of-translinks-200-million.html
http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/westcoastnews/story.html?id=a114300a-bb3f-4f6a-a135-f8f988851b49 Did Translink even have a business case for the faregates in the first place? A good read on this one.
And don’t forget to scroll down, or head to the home page to read the BC Ferries executive pay increases…. ouch.
LAIAYUILE
Have you additional info to report on that railway bridge in White Rock?
It seems to me that the Provincial and Federal Govt.are dragging their feet again
Thanks
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I do have an update- it was supposed to be up last week, but I was waiting on some documents. Look forward to it this week.
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Fare gates – Both my wife and I identified that fare gates should have been installed when the individual stations were first constructed. One has to only review what and why other countries have done = all with fare gates. Plus, excuse me for being cynical, but didn’t the various Translink executives tour various other countries, all expenses paid to review their systems.
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Once again we have govt beaurocrats that have rarely, if ever, used the system they are trusted with operating.
Cash for a bus ticket ! Now why didnt I think of that?
Overfed, under worked, braying donkeys couldnt hold a candle to the buffoons that continue to rake in exorbitant salaries and bonuses and pensions for coming up with this dog of a system.
Cant wait for school to start…………
Eat the rich
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Translink says they did this because of results from a focus group. Now having been involved in one or two of those, I can tell you the questions and how the group is constituted and led can make a huge difference to the end results.
But as long as we’re doing policy by focus group, here’s a few questions I’d love to see Translink try out:
1) If a bus doesn’t show up, should Translink pay you?
2) If a bus passes you up, should Translink pay you?
3) If a bus or Skytrain breaks down while you’re on it, should Translink pay you?
4) If you have to stand in a non rush-hour trip, should Translink pay you?
5) If Translink charges peak hour fairs, should they provide peak hour service?
But I’m not holding my breath waiting for it to happen.
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Laila…..
Did you catch the part where, while defending the decision not to make things compatible, the Chief Operating Clown says……” I’m a taxpayer too “…….while taking his fat raise. Shameful.
As for the HumpUs Card. Someone commented on the Straight site saying his mother, a bus driver, told him the testing is not going well. I asked a driver about this yesterday and she nodded her head up & and rolled her eyes. I’m going to hold off on the card at first and pay cash, as I can’t get this possible future headline out of my mind……..
” System-Wide Failure—-Card Balances Erased ”
Anything is possible at TransFail.
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Yes, I’ve talked to a few people in the industry as well and there are reported fails in many areas. Like the faregates remaining open long enough for a few people to pass through without having tapped.
Other issues I hear are likely to arise,is the overcrowding on many buses that will prevent people from tapping properly upon exiting. In addition,at many skytrain stations there are not nearly enough gates installed and there will definitely be a crowd and congestion come September.
I really wish people who actually took the bus were in charge.I would suggest to those at Translink who are busy reading this morning, that they create a riders commission for input from real transit users in order to facilitate actual policy and procedure that works.
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Overcrowded or not, I think tapping out will always be an issue as most of the Drones around here think the bus ends at the back doors.
So far as input goes…….A few years back I was discussing some kind of failure on the system with a driver and that I was going to file a complaint. His response went something like this—-“Don’t bother. It’ll probably go straight in the garbage can. We’re the front-line employees and they don’t even listen to us.”
( Enjoyed your piece on the #321 bus. Don’t ride much over there these days, but I remember how it was back in pre-SkyTrain days. Just replace the Homeys with guys in triple soled Daytons and AC/DC shirts calling everyone fags.)
Keep up the good work!!!
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There are blinders on the initial question – “should Translink retrofit the buses…?”
Supposedly that will cost $25mil.
Why not retrofit the Skytrain stations with a mag ticket reader for those of us who pay cash on buses? Supposedly it’s 1/3 the cost.
Far fewer skytrain stations than buses so it makes sense to retrofit the stations and not the buses!
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tf, I will have a followup post or column soon on Translink and this issue, among others.
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Update Wednesday Aug 21st….The Translink spokesperson has once again invoked the magic 14% (non)solution.
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Translink’s AGM is in May. I will be attending. One of the questions I’ll be asking is How many times did the CEO CFO, etc. take transit last month. How many times did a member of their family take transit last month? Do you know anyone who makes less than $15,000 a year?
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Letter from a reader, via my contact page – a plethora of information!
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Read Mike Smyths article this weekend and figured he must be a reader of yours,since I read his news here first.;)
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Yes, he reads here along with thousands of others. He might have read it here…. or he might have done some research 😉
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maybe fire bc ferries board of directors and translinks a 2 for 1 special
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http://www.news1130.com/2013/08/21/translink-spending-100k-on-office-space-in-surrey/
Good grief. This area is ground zero in many ways, not going to be easy to sublet there. What were they thinking?
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So, if my math is right, that is 7.2 mil. potentially wasted if they don’t find tenants. 1.8 shy of the cheaper card fix.
I currently average one Howard Beale moment per day.
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I believe we have found the reason why they cant spend $9 million on installing magnetic strip readers at the sky train stations…..
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First paragraph says 100K a month on a six year lease. Would that not be 1.2 per year?
Apologies if I’m blowing it somehow.
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No, you aren’t, you are bang on! . I have a new post up on this, check the home page.
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Phew!!! I was feeling like a complete fool there for a bit!!!
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Every efficient transit system I know of (Montreal, Hong Kong, Taipei, Kiaosiung, Japan) uses fairgates.
I support them. They should have been installed decades ago.
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I agree with this point… they should have been installed decades ago.
However… they were not… and now that they have installed them, the essentially cheaped out on the installation. Considering the money being spent elsewhere on Translink’s bad business decisions, the money to install transfer readers at skytrain stations could easily have been re-allocated. Unfortunately, the vast amount of waste happens in administration, where executives and managers who never take transit make decisions that don’t make sense for those who actually do… 🙂
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