By Staff
April 2, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
After completing the report card on Burlington Transit service and listening to transit staff, the Mayor and some of the people involved in Bfast it was time for the breakout sessions where transit users got down to the specifics. What worked and what didn’t work?
Jim Young listening to the complaints about scheduling.
There were so many different breakout groups that they had to use additional rooms for these sub meeting.
Jim Young a passionate advocate for better use of the existing transit facilities handled the breakout table for schedules. He had a long line in front of him
Here is a summary of the scheduling comments he took in:
1. No East/West crosstown bus along the most logical Plains Fairview corridor. Old route now breaks at Maple, transfer is erratic, requires walk from stop to stop, is outdoors in winter and Mae to Appleby section winds all through lakeshore/downtown/ new street making a former 20 minute journey into a 45/50 minute trek.
2. Community Bus start/depart/arrival times at Seniors Centre are completely out of synch with program opening/start/stop and closing times. This issue also came up at the seniors breakout.
3. Saturday bus service has approx. 19 to 20 buses on the road at times and on routes where weekday service has 33 to 35 buses, how does the city expect increased ridership at half the service.
4. Driver adherence to schedules is erratic and not monitored. When questioned drivers suggest schedules are too tight and make no allowance for changing traffic conditions.
5. On many days the #5 route shuts down early with no service after suppertime. Complainant suspects there are many non-commuter, local services with the same issues making visiting family in the evening difficult if not impossible.
6. South east of the city the #50 does not go to Oakville at nights forcing a much longer journey via city bus to GO and same on return journey.
7. The #20 New Street to Burloak & Appleby GO does not service some of the residential areas that the #40B serves. The #40b only runs as a morning evening commuter service which covers much of the same route as the #20 but goes deeper into residential areas. Can something be done to look at combining these two routes with improved all day service on both?
8. There were several comment on synchronizing services at GO stations and from bus to bus when a journey requires 2 buses and transfer. Again this highlights the too tight scheduling that others mentioned previously.
Acting Director of Transit Jeff Black
This is something the Gazette will return to in three or four months and learn how the transit people have responded. It must be said that the transit people who did the presentation were keen and where there to tell their story and listen.
Transit is currently led by Jeff Black as Acting Director of Transit. The city manager might want to think about taking th “Acting” off that title.
We heard a transit staff that was “stoked”, “pumped” and wanting to do a better job. Perhaps all they needed was better leadership
I wonder how many years experience does the Manager of Burlington transit have as a client? Days, weeks, months,years?
I would bet that the service could be operated far more efficiently if it was run by someone that has actually ridden a bus, which is to say more often than for an occasional photo opportunity.
I have never understood in the forty some odd years Burlington has had transit why there is no crosstown that maybe went all the way from Hamilton terminal to Oakville terminal, and then Oakville’s crosstown runs from Burlington Terminal to Mississauga.
Of course this is only a local deplorable posing the question not some bright eyed, deep thinking, empty suit like Bruce Mcquaig or his predecessor Macisaac that sat and warmed the chairs for what 10 years in total now?
I cannot be convinced that for any amount of years of public service without first hand knowledge of how to ride a bus or perhaps even steer one across town you could have any useful knowledge in the operation of a transportation service.
With all the trucking companies founded and built by, Yikes! Truck drivers? Incredibly they operate profitable transportation services, who woulda thunk it?