kellerGraham: Random Thoughts

My OPUS Expectations (as of July 1, 2009)

2009-04-13T11:16:00.005-04:00

With the OPUS card expected to come out of BETA testing on June 30th, here ~~is my wish list~~ are my expectations as of July 1, 2009.

Automatic loading for single and multiple tickets as well as weekly and monthly passes

This is something that Montrealers take for granted. Even one month after the first CITs started accepting OPUS (there are 6 using it now) you still can't load tickets or passes from these transit authorities at their respective Billetterie Metropolitaine. Last month, I emailed one CIT and received this response (removed identifiable information):

((
Pour l'instant, il est vrai que les titres du CIT ne sont pas en vente sur la carte à puce a la Billetterie Metropolitaine. Éventuellement, par contre, ils le seront lorsque le système sera entièrement uniformisé avec l'AMT.
))

Translation:
For now, it's true that CIT tickets and passes aren't available from the machines at the Billetterie Metropolitaine. Eventually they will be when the system is merged (uniformed) with the AMT.

I can only expect that this day will be June 30th. The date the STM has mentioned is the day OPUS goes into full swing (it's also the day OPUS cards jump from $3.50 to $7.00).

ALL transit authorities need to be accessible from the same machine.

This means that STM, STL and CIT Presqu'Ile tickets are accessible from the same machine at Cote-Vertu metro station. This also means that local bus fares (tickets and passes) should be available from their respective train stations. This would be an added benefit for the local buses because in most cases, train stations are nowhere near metro stations and metropolitain terminuses.

Have an "add to cart" option available with a single checkout.

Have the ability to add various fares and passes to your OPUS card and then "checkout" and charge the whole transaction to one credit/debit card. For many this means lower banking fees.

Keep the introductory rate ($3.50) for the OPUS card until December 31, 2009.

Many people are just now being introduced to OPUS. Some may have to wait until June 1st or later. It's not fair for them to purchase their first OPUS card at the full price of $7.00 when everyone else has been purchasing them at $3.50.

Progressive commuter train fares and topup system

Right now if someone wants to travel from Deux-Montagnes to Sainte-Dorothee by train, they have to pay for an entire ticket to downtown ($7.00 for 6 minutes of travel). Same goes for someone with a TRAM 3 monthly pass who wants to venture up to Deux-Montagnes once. A revised system would allow that same user to pay only $2.00 ($1.00 for the first zone and $0.50 for each additional zone). The same policy can be extended to any tran trip inwhich zone 1 isn't used. Now that OPUS is here there's no excuse for a reviewed fare structure.

The $1 first zone / $0.50 additional zone isn't rocket science or new. It's already used on Metra Rail in Chicago

The little CIT that might.....

2009-03-14T15:50:00.010-04:00

Dufresne 336 - CIT Haut-Saint-Laurent, originally uploaded by kellergraham.

Transportation around Montreal is much more than the big three plus commuter trains. A smaller network of suburban transit buses known as CITs operates as far as Valleyfield, St-Jerome, Sorel, Saint-Hyacinthe, and Huntingdon. Service frequencies range from the extremely frequent 15 minute service to St-Jerome to the scarce departures towards Huntingdon (up to 8 buses per day).

According to an article in Saturday's Le Soleil de Chateauguay, CIT Haut-Saint-Laurent, the smallest commuter bus service in the greater Montreal area, is surveying its citizens on a possible improved schedule. Their current schedule hasn't been modified since 2006 when departures were removed from the weekend schedule (there used to be a midnight departure fron Angrignon on Saturdays). The PDF version of the newspaper has some of the questions asked:

- What can CITHSL do to increase ridership?

- Increased comfort onboard?
- Service into downtown..... Chateauguay?!?
- Regular service towards Valleyfield?
- Evening service Monday to Friday?
- More weekend departures?

I say all of the above. Increased comfort? What more do you want? This is the only CIT that uses exclusively coaches for their bus service. No stinky LFSes here!

Residents of Mercier, St-Martine, Howick, Ormstown and Huntingdon received the survey in the PubliSac this week. Hopefully, better service is in the works...

LEGO MANIA!

2009-02-25T08:01:00.002-05:00

WOW! I love the Internet! It's interesting how I can have a photo or a video on Facebook for ages and no one notices and then suddenly gets major attention! I love it! My video for example never got more than a few hits a day. Yesterday alone according to Flickr Stats, 185 people saw my video! ISN'T IT AMAZING? WOW!

So far, the following websites have linked to my Lego Pictures / Video:

The Chronicles of Sekhmet Design // Métro de MTL en Lego

Dans l'antre de la découverte // Une expo Lego très cool ...

Twitter
http://twitter.com/mariejugag
http://twitter.com/andyriga
http://twitter.com/murmitoyen (LOVE THE BACKGROUND)
http://twitter.com/robroc

I had never heard of Twitter until a few weeks ago, only because of some very vocal person complaining.

Thanks to all my photo visitors, past, present and future. Every new visitor is one more person educated about our hobby.

AMT's Response to the Deux-Montagnes Line CRISIS!

2009-02-22T10:23:00.002-05:00

EXPRESS SUNNYBROOKE 00, originally uploaded by kellergraham.

USE THE BUS!

AMT has provided users of the Roxboro-Pierrefonds, Sunnybrooke and Du Ruisseau stations with special shuttle buses to Cote-Vertu Metro station. The coaches are provided by Bell Horizon and Transdev Limocar. Yes, the same Transdev Limocar that was prohibited from operating the same type of coach service between Cote-Vertu and Vaudreuil not six months ago.

Also, according to the AMT, these buses are borderline illegal, because the STM is supposed to have exclusive rights to bus transportation between two areas on the island of Montreal. (Shh, no one tell then about the Concordia or McGill shuttles)...

Note: This post is also to test the integration of Flickr and Blogspot :D

First Public Post

2009-02-21T13:30:00.006-05:00

Welcome to my Blog.

This is my first attempt at "Blogging", although my initial Internet Presence began on July 5, 1999 with the photo sharing website Webshots. I no longer update that one on a regular basis as I've transferred all my photos over to Flickr.

I wanted to coincide my first blog post with the 4th anniversary of the Bombardier BiLevels first appearance on the Dorion-Rigaud Line. unfortunately, I was busy all day yesterday and couldn't update in time.

That's all for Post #1, Comments Welcome!

Test Post

2009-02-19T21:18:00.003-05:00

This is a test blog post.

kellerGraham already has a Flickr site:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kellergraham

And a website
http://kellergraham.googlepages.com

I'll be talking about public transit.

Here's an image: