OC Transpo Strike and Ottawa Car Pool information
For an update to my comments and this idea, see post: OC Transpo strike and just an idea folks
*** UPDATE *** An agreement has been reached. There will be no OC Transpo strike Monday.
For those of you that want to yell at me for my wish that has seemed to have ticked plenty of people off (gee I wonder how they feel about 2-tier health care 
). The comments section is at the bottom, feel free to yell, or support me. C’mon people, I am getting slaughtered here.
With an OC Transpo Strike looming (Google News - OC Transpo) I thought I would put some links in regarding carpooling:
- OttawaCarPool.ca (by the same person who does OttawaStart.com and OttawaGasPrices.com)
- eRideShare.com
In addition to this, I would like to reiterate my wishes for OC Transpo or a private company to provide what I call “elite comfort” bus services. Comfort and public transit could happen! Just think:
Ideally, OC Transpo would just offer what I call an “elite comfort” service of $120 - $140/month. This is what it would include:
- Guaranteed seat (not just any seat, but a comfortable seat with plenty of space - more like what you would get on a Greyhound bus or other Coach Bus.
- Guaranteed A/C in the summer and comfortable heat in the winter.
- Same service as OC Transpo and the ability to use all OC Transpo services if you miss your scheduled “elite comfort” bus.
- A complimentary newspaper waiting for you when you get on
- Service even if there is a strike (guarantee from OC Transpo that these busses would continue to run even if there is a strike - this one might be hard - or even impossible to do) But with the extra cash you pay for monthly services, there is no reason that OC could not contract out the services if there was a strike to ensure that this service was guaranteed.
- All pregnant, elderly and disabled individuals would be given this service for the same price as an express bus pass. (It ticks me off that people don’t jump out of their seats for this subset of individuals when they get on the bus. Especially chatty XYZ who likes to sit in the reserved seats at the front of the bus and chat with the bus driver and the 3 others who steal from people who really need the seats!)
What would it take for OC Transpo to do this?
- Buy some sweet new hybrid busses. (updated tech, cheaper on fuel, better for environment)
- Put some comfortable seats in them.
- When you get your pass, you ask for a pickup time and location (your seat is saved for you!)
- Keep 10% of the seats (maybe only 5%) open for people who missed a previous bus, or just want to catch an earlier one.
- Any open seats can be “sold” as an upgrade at any park and ride at the last stop once the bus determines that it is full. (Show your express pass, throw in $3 and you too can ride comfort!)
Pros:
- Comfort, Comfort, Comfort
- Guaranteed seat on those 1 hr winter rides from Kanata, Stittsville, Orleans, …
- A/C in the summer & decent temp in the winter
- increased rider ship all around
- More room on express busses for those who do not mind being sardines
- All the amenities of OC Transpo pass
- Increased cash into the public transit system
- Fewer vehicles on the road
Cons:
- Additional cost
- Still out of service during a strike (maybe)
- Can only be offered in areas where enough riders are willing to pay for the service (possibly signing up in advance)
- A private company does not have access to the OC Transpo infrastructure like the bus lanes and the Transitway. The cost of making the bus passes useable on OC Transpo would also probably be too expensive/possibly not even available.
I basically want this: http://www.leducbus.com/
Please give me your feedback on what you think. Would you be interested in a service like this? What would you be willing to pay? Do you think it would attract more riders and get some additional vehicles off the road?
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December 2nd, 2005 @ 11:55 am
I think service like this would be awesome. Expensive, but it would certainly get me in a better mood as I’m waiting for the bus.
I would like to add that for this service, the buses should be very clean. Buses are filthy, and it really bothers me.
BTW, regarding your comment about special seating, I completely agree with you.
December 2nd, 2005 @ 12:04 pm
Thanks Chantal for your comments! Hopefully all can be resolved with the union before Monday so people have a way in.
Private companies, if a strike does take place, why not make a deal to use OC Transpo land (tranistway, etc.) and actually test out my idea. People could still park at the Park and Ride and pay to use your services. You might get a good idea of what people are willing to pay in order to avoid driving in (while getting there comfortably).
If any private company is thinking of doing this, please let me know and I will post a link with information for those who might be stuck if the OC Transpo Strike does go ahead!
Colin
December 2nd, 2005 @ 1:38 pm
For $60 extra a month you want a larger seat, complimentary newspaper, temperature set to your desire, and guaranteed strike service? You want them to buy and modify busses, deal with the scheduling issues of routing “elite busses”, and deal with policing the “elite seats” issues (which, incidentally, would mean re-hiring a bunch of fare-inspector-type people). Well shit, I want this too, for $60 - that and a coffee and a big wet kiss on my ass when I get on the bus… The economics just don’t work out at all.
Not to mention that putting large seats in a bus means an even LARGER decrease in the available number of regular seats… Which means you’re cramming all the people who can’t afford an “elite pass” into a smaller area, forcing them to stand shoulder to shoulder while looking forward at empty seats with complimentary newspapers… For $60 a month? You have to be joking me….
December 2nd, 2005 @ 5:52 pm
ALL THAT HAVE BEEN SAID WILL NEVER HAPPEN AND IF IT DID HAPPEN BELIEVE ME IT WOULD BE MORE THEN 60 DOLLERS OR OC TRANSPO WILL GO BANKRUPT GAURENTED LOL! 60 DOLLERS GOTTA BE KIDDEN ME
OttFamFun Admin Comments: Please don’t yell. It was just a wish list type of idea, I don’t want to freak people out. I just mean that I would be willing to pay more to have a comfortable ride in that was not crowded. If you take a bus with a capacity of 50 seats allowing 20 to stand… very rough estimate. This bus would make 70 X $87 = $6090 in fares (all bus passes). If 50 people are willing to cover the cost of the “standing room” by paying more. 50 X $150 = $7500. Ok, so now we have covered the cost of the fares. These busses would make $1410 more in fares over the course of a month (per 2-way trip) - I think the bus could probably make more than 1 2-way trip a day, so if it can do 3 trips both ways, you can increase the $$ made from fares (on just one bus!).
I agree that this is a pipe dream that will probably never happen. But service like this would help reduce the number of vehicles on the road (people who don’t take public transit because some routes can be quite crowded and annoying. Ask anyone who works in Gatineau and has to transfer onto an express bus by getting on the last stop. How many times do the busses pass them by in -20C or -40C weather? I bet several of them would be more than happy to pay a little more to have a seat when their bus comes by. Not to mention that there are usually 2 comfortable idiots standing midway blocking people from actually standing comfortably. The bus driver actually has to exercise logic for the masses and ask the idiots to move back! How dumb can people be! I want to be comfortable, but not at other’s expense. My suggestion is to allow people to pay for the extra comfort. Who knows what it would cost!?
As for the Bankrupt statement. A bus with 50 people riding on it would actually bring in more $$ in fares than one with 70 crowded. We already have 2 levels of bus service: Regular and Express (I would group rural with Express even though rural routes pay $1 more each way or $110 a month (did I mention they ride in with the services I basically would like to see from some of the park and rides on the outskirts of the city (Stittsville; Kanata; Orleans)
December 3rd, 2005 @ 12:20 am
As a student, this “wishlist” upsets me. Just recently the price for bus passes went up AGAIN. For someone in full-time university with a part-time job and rent to pay, this hike may not be significant to other people, but it is for students and low-income earners. To have people talk about making “elite” buses is absurd. They need to fix what’s already there before they start making special buses for the rich. Compared to most cities, out buses are actually really nice. They should be focusing more on extending routes to rural areas like where I grew up. They’re now paying for buses as a result of the amalgamation but all they get is a shuttle that takes two hours to get to Ottawa when it’s a 30 min drive to downtown. There are way more serious issues to be dealt with than someone’s pipedream for “elite” buses for people who could afford to just drive to work.
Comments from adminKate, just think if some people are willing to pay more for the “elite” or “comfort” services, it will be a service that actually will free up space on the other busses and will earn more in fares than the other busses too. It will help keep the regular and student fares lower…. I am not asking that other fares be increased, only those who want to pay for better service. I think that with the cash that OC Transpo has, they do a great job. But just look across the river to see how having a city invest in a transit system works. Have you seen their plan for “rapid transit”, have you seen some of the busses and the level of serivce. I am only saying that people who want better service for commuting in should be able to pay. Why not let OC Transpo run the service (the infrastructure is already in place) and make some extra cash (again, the total fares made by these busses would be higher) and let that extra cash go toward subsidizing the other services…. I don’t want to take away from the current services, I want to pay more to get more.
December 4th, 2005 @ 10:28 am
Honestly, what would the purpose other then to flaunt your money. The average income within this city could never afford such a thing. So are we going back to the ages of segregation before Rosa Parks? Ask yourself this, do we really live in a society that needs more segregation between,low income and high income? This is a ridiculous thought, and I agree ten fold with Kate above, lets fix what we have!
comments from admin Come on now. Why don’t we all move into a big commune and share all our belongings then. Your big screen TV is my big screen TV. Your SUV is mine (neither of which do I own, so People have different incomes and decide to spend their money in different ways. I do not want to change the current system at all (I think it is pretty decent, with some lows in bad weather - but that is to be expected with the age of the fleet). I don’t want to tell anyone that they can’t use the service. Do you complain about people who have enough cash to pay for valet parking at the Corel Center? They have the cash, and they are willing to spend it on a service provided. Enough people want the service so it is a viable business… if there were not enough people using it, the service would not be offered. Simple… We already have Regular and Express bus passes. Are you saying that this is already segregation. No! It is practicality. Those who can afford to take an Express bus with services that meet their needs will use it. Those who don’t need or cannot afford it will take the Regular Fare bus. Simple really. Practical too.
I am suggesting a way for people who decide that they would like even better service than that on Express busses to be able to pay for what it would cost for the service. Sometimes you have to think outside the box (although I know that can be hard for many people) to figure out ways to improve our situation all around. This is an idea that could pump more money into the system, not cost it more…. Oh, and for the tree huggers out there, think of all of those SUV riders out there that we might be able to convince to take the bus! Hmmm an environmental advantage too! But since I am jealous that Joe decides to spend his discretionary income on something that is not important to me, then Joe must be a bad person.
December 4th, 2005 @ 9:49 pm
Well, if you knew me, you would know that I am not rich and do not feel like “flaunting” money. Some people go out and buy big SUVs so they can ride to work (1 or 2 people) in comfort. I agree that OC Transpo can probably not do something like this. But I am just saying that for extra $$ I would rather take public transportation that was comfortable. Those commenting have probably not had to stand and watch 2 busses go by because they are too full (and everyone has to pile on to the 1st 2 busses to the park and ride). Then get on the 3rd bus only to wait another 1/2 hour at the park and ride to transfer to a bus to get you home. Being late to some people means you are late to get to the babysitter’s and thus can have a cost as well. In my case, I just want to start my day comfortably and know that I will have a spot on the bus (let alone a seat!) on the way home!!!! I guess by calling it “elite comfort” some of you may feel that I want to flaunt cash, well that is not the case! I just want a comfortable ride home so that I can stick to a schedule. What is wrong with wanting some comfort. And for those who do make more cash and live in the city, I am not one to boo hoo about those better off than us. They probably have bigger homes, pay more taxes and subsidize quite a bit more for the rest of us. So I wouldn’t be boo hooing about cash to the people who are already paying what I consider to be more than their fair share. Just think about how much a bus pass costs in Ottawa (it is pretty reasonable!) and it is because of those wealthy folk in those nice big homes who are subsidizing it for the rest of us. What I really want to know is how they got so much cash. With student loans, which I don’t think anyone but I should have to pay…and I am thankful for the level that education is subsidized at now (and was when I went to school… I do feel subsidizing education is a good investment for all Canadians to have an educated population…but I don’t want to be subsiziding trips to Starbucks either… everyone has their own priorities. I just feel that starting my day and ending my day with a 45 minute commute in comfort is something I would be willing to spend my cash on. So no, I am not rolling in dough, and yes, I may be doing better than some, and not nearly as well as others. I am just another middle class person, with debt, bills, day care expenses, gas bills, vehicle repairs, … Boo hoo for me, and the rest of the grown ups who have to work to pay for basic living expenses, and then if there is some left … what we feel are priorities to us…
December 4th, 2005 @ 10:00 pm
i just wanna know if we will have busses running on monday so we can get to school
December 4th, 2005 @ 11:54 pm
Yes Jenn, the busses will be running Monday. Good news for all.
December 15th, 2005 @ 12:54 pm
Anyone heard of the defineition of democracy? It basically is equal rights to all and special treatment for none. Not even if you have alot of money. Which is hard to accomplish in our day and age. But this is why the healthcare system hasn’t gone two teer among many other reasons. But as a university student I would be so pissed off watching people get onto a better bus then me, buses, are buses. Deal with it. Ottawa in case you have not noticed to spite the strike has the best transit system in almost the world. Many places around the world look at there example for transit, and to try and basically make a limo bus for the more fortunate, lets just separate the income families even more then they already are. Ottawa transit system runs great when they are not on strike, do not ask for a newspaper and donuts too, go to tim hortons.
December 15th, 2005 @ 2:51 pm
Here is a better definition of democracy from Wikipedia : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democracy
Nice try on the new definition though Matt. I think what you were referring to though was Socialism. See the definition in Wikipedia please: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socialism. What year of University did you say you were in?