quote:

Originally posted by Tordan +1 get rid of that damn union and then those high paid ttc execs who do absolutely nothing.

I'm not sure it's that simple.

I don't think we need competition. True competition in the public transit space would need to be heavily regulated like the taxi industry is, only x 100. It's an urban planning nightmare trying to have multiple companies developing infrastructure in the downtown core. It is far easier for taxis to compete because their infrastructure (ie, the taxi) is cheap and mobile.

I would suggest doing an RFP to invite bids and strategies from various private companies that would come in to manage the system, but not own it outright. Then one of them would be selected to proceed.

quote:

Originally posted by Skipper I would suggest doing an RFP to invite bids and strategies from various private companies that would come in to manage the system, but not own it outright. Then one of them would be selected to proceed.

Government RFCs/RFPs are always a joke. By the time anybody actually gets to comment/propose, the contract has been awarded and the rest is just a formality. And the contracts always go to the most gigantic, inefficient, incompetent corporation; in the case of IT it's Accenture or IBM, I don't know who the players would be in this case.

Just look at how the roads are maintained in Toronto and Ontario. Same deal - let a bunch of people bid on the contract. All of them know that the contract is a cash cow and milk it for all it's worth, giving it the lowest possible priority amongst all their contracts and doing a half-assed job in general.

If you want the system to work, you need actual accountability. The pseudo-private government contracts you're suggesting don't actually provide that, which is why they never work in practice.

What exactly makes you think that transit would either need to be highly regulated OR a planning nightmare? It's very common across the U.S. and it works fine there. And you even have mostly-private, slightly-subsidized companies like GO here that run far more efficiently than the TTC.

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quote:

Originally posted by DigiNut we need transit that actually takes people where they need to go in a reasonable time

The St. Clair route has been driving me insane lately!!! I usually give myself an extra 20 minutes everyday to arrive to work in time. The last couple of days I have actually been late, even with those 20 minutes, because those idiots decided it would be a good idea to make me wait for a streetcar AND a shuttle bus when traveling east. The underground tunnel for St. Clair west isn't even in use, so it baffles me why they decided to start using street cars again!

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They started using street cars again for the same reason they put speed bumps on many side streets. All it takes is for a handful of obnoxious cranks to nag a few lightweight politicians. Nobody else bothers to fight, so, the loudmouths end up getting what they want.

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My party schedule:
2009-02-21 - DJ Attention @ I'm So Popular
2009-06-18 - DJ Annoying @ People Need To Know Where I'll Be
2012-11-32 - DJ Insufferable ɸ Or At Least the Stalkers I Complain About
2048-06-66 - Spastic & Whocares ¶ Although I'm Actually Flattered
9999-45-81 - Tweaker Gimp ☼ I Probably Won't Even Go To This But I Have To Make Sure I Fill Up All The Available Space Here

It makes no sense to me why the streetcar won't go farther than Winona, when it's supposed to go to Keele. There were more than 20 people who had to get off and wait for a bus afterwards, which included toddlers, and elderly women, who were without umbrellas. We waited for 20+ minutes! This is happening on a daily basis. They need to get their shit together.

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quote:

Originally posted by DigiNut All RFCs/RFPs are a joke.

Fixed.

quote:

Originally posted by Cribby It makes no sense to me why the streetcar won't go farther than Winona, when it's supposed to go to Keele. There were more than 20 people who had to get off and wait for a bus afterwards, which included toddlers, and elderly women, who were without umbrellas. We waited for 20+ minutes! This is happening on a daily basis. They need to get their shit together.

But they won't. What is their incentive to improve the service? Why should they?

___________________
My party schedule:
2009-02-21 - DJ Attention @ I'm So Popular
2009-06-18 - DJ Annoying @ People Need To Know Where I'll Be
2012-11-32 - DJ Insufferable ɸ Or At Least the Stalkers I Complain About
2048-06-66 - Spastic & Whocares ¶ Although I'm Actually Flattered
9999-45-81 - Tweaker Gimp ☼ I Probably Won't Even Go To This But I Have To Make Sure I Fill Up All The Available Space Here