Grand River Transit

[JoeKW]

I didn't know that the bus shelters are owned by advertising companies. That's really interesting, I wonder how that works.

[timio]

I didn't know that the bus shelters are owned by advertising companies. That's really interesting, I wonder how that works.

Advertiser installs and maintains shelters and furniture and gets ad space on them in return.

[insider]

I didn't know that the bus shelters are owned by advertising companies.  That's really interesting, I wonder how that works.

Advertiser installs and maintains shelters and furniture and gets ad space on them in return.

Advertising companies only own the old small bus shelters, any of the new ones with the glass roof are owned and maintained by the Region. They are quite expensive too.

[numberguy]

GRT is unionized.   ION is not (so far).    Hence, the branding cannot be unified.   

I don't see how that follows. Pretty sure that with smart card branding, the Region is just trying to minimize confusion while using its extremely limited internal design resources.

As someone who sits on collective bargaining negotiations, I can attest to the fact that shared branding can be used as a supporting argument to change the status of a workforce before a mediator.

[Pheidippides]

I noticed in the finance agenda for committee this week that GRT ridership is projected to be down again; that would be two years in a row. I'm sure the Record will manage to make a crisis out of it somehow.

"GRT conventional fare revenue YTD is trending 8.6% below 2015 budgeted levels in part due to the decision by the Waterloo Region District School Board to adjust bell times in order to redeploy its own fleet of buses on a second route at the beginning and end of the school day."

http://www.regionofwaterloo.ca/en/region...pdf#page25

[Canard]

The high schools and elemetary schools where I grew up did that. It meant that when I was in high school we went in super early but we're done school at 2:26, which was awesome. It made better use of the hardware available, I think. You can half as many busses that way, just run them more. Free for the parents too, which I'm sure they will appreciate.

[plam]

The high schools and elemetary schools where I grew up did that. It meant that when I was in high school we went in super early but we're done school at 2:26, which was awesome. It made better use of the hardware available, I think. You can half as many busses that way, just run them more. Free for the parents too, which I'm sure they will appreciate.

Unfortunately, it's terrible for the students to start super early, in terms of doing well at school:

http://www.startschoollater.net/whats-the-big-deal.html

There is a movement to get schools to start later.

[Markster]

In Ottawa in the 90s, they staggered bell times to allow for *three* waves.
My middle school's first bell, (telling us to come in and go to homeroom) was at 7:50.

[Spokes]

The high schools and elemetary schools where I grew up did that. It meant that when I was in high school we went in super early but we're done school at 2:26, which was awesome. It made better use of the hardware available, I think. You can half as many busses that way, just run them more. Free for the parents too, which I'm sure they will appreciate.

Unfortunately, it's terrible for the students to start super early, in terms of doing well at school:

http://www.startschoollater.net/whats-the-big-deal.html

There is a movement to get schools to start later.

High school students at least.

We've got it backwards as it currently stands in terms of elementary/secondary start times.

[tomh009]

The high schools and elemetary schools where I grew up did that. It meant that when I was in high school we went in super early but we're done school at 2:26, which was awesome. It made better use of the hardware available, I think. You can half as many busses that way, just run them more. Free for the parents too, which I'm sure they will appreciate.

Unfortunately, it's terrible for the students to start super early, in terms of doing well at school:

http://www.startschoollater.net/whats-the-big-deal.html

There is a movement to get schools to start later.

Starting school at 7 AM or earlier is pretty crazy.  8 AM is not so unreasonable, though, I think.

That web site makes a huge number of claims about how evil early school days are, but it has precious little evidence to back up those claims.

[plam]

Unfortunately, it's terrible for the students to start super early, in terms of doing well at school:

http://www.startschoollater.net/whats-the-big-deal.html

There is a movement to get schools to start later.

Starting school at 7 AM or earlier is pretty crazy.  8 AM is not so unreasonable, though, I think.

That web site makes a huge number of claims about how evil early school days are, but it has precious little evidence to back up those claims.

That was perhaps not the best link. This one may be better: http://www.startschoollater.net/wake-up-...facts.html

I certainly don't get up at 8 routinely. When I need to, I feel like it affects my productivity. It is certainly true that one is less smart when sleep deprived, and I just can't see how kids wouldn't be sleep deprived by starting at 8.

(So I'm happy for GRT to spend more money if it means that our kids get more sleep.)

[Canard]

You don't get up by 8? What job do you have? everyone is in our office by 8 at the latest, most are here at 7, some people start at 5-6am.

[tomh009]

There are references for the amount of sleep needed. But no references for the (biological) inability to get to sleep before 11. That is the key question, are humans really unable to go to sleep earlier? (It certainly wasn't the case in the old days before electric lights and TV.)

I'm definitely no teenager any more, but I normally get up between 6 and 7 AM. Without an alarm clock. And I think the morning hours are the most productive for me.

[Markster]

You don't get up by 8? What job do you have? everyone is in our office by 8 at the latest, most are here at 7, some people start at 5-6am.

Meanwhile.... I just nonchalantly walked into work at 11:30!

[MidTowner]

You don't get up by 8? What job do you have? everyone is in our office by 8 at the latest, most are here at 7, some people start at 5-6am.

In my office, not everyone feels the need to come in every day. If they have meetings or something, they come in for those, but there are a few people who make it clear that, if possible, they don't want meetings scheduled earlier than a certain time. I worked with one guy who didn't prefer to be made to attend meetings earlier than noon, and was known to send e-mails at truly ungodly late hours.

I'm an early riser, personally...I don't think I was in high school as much...

I'm probably off topic, too. I wonder what impact the iXpress and 7 (and other) detours have had on ridership. At least a few riders must have found other modes of travel.