**** UPDATE AS OF 3:45pm TODAY****
The following email was just sent to myself and council:
**** ORIGINAL POST ****
Over the past several days there has been a lot of communication sent my way over the changes made to our scheduled postings (signs) at our 700 transit stops city wide.
The first thing you need to hear is this:
I am listening.
Since hearing from riders last week, (before these changes implemented on January 7th), I contacted transit staff on your behalf to inquire about these new changes and to learn more. I asked staff:
- “Can you explain why all the signs are changing at stops?
- Is this better customer service for our riders?
- What about those with disabilities or those that don’t have phones and so on..?
- Is this best practice and can you point me to other transit systems that use the signs that we’re putting up?
- Are we taking the opportunity to promote our twitter handle and the Google app that gives real-time data on the new signs so that your phone lines aren’t clogged up with people calling in to find out where the buses are?
- Is this call-in-system an automated one?”
Further to the above, I called staff last Friday to discuss this even further. I was told that over 2/3rds of the 700 stops had already been changed with the new signage, yet staff would monitor the feedback and keep me in the loop.
Over the weekend I received more concerns from the public and so did city councillors.
Yesterday morning I again reached out to Transit staff by email on your behalf. I also had a meeting at city hall regarding this issue and staff indicated that they will be getting back to myself and council.
I believe we should explore the following:
The new signage installed should stay for those that are tech-savvy and want real-time arrival data. However, in addition to those new signs, an up to date printed schedule/maps should be re-posted.
I continue to listen, to learn more and take your concerns seriously. Let us together (staff, riders, drivers and politicians) build the best transit service Guelph has ever had. If it has to start with a compromise on signs, so be it.
Stay tuned.
Cam
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