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ok, when this was happening I was thinking I need to mention this on the octranspo livejournal....
on the number 1 heading for billings bridge - the bus is the usual quiet of people keeping to themselves. we stop by a daycare where we pick up a mother and child - child who is busy saying "bye" to two friends as she is climbing on the bus - cute. but it didn't take very long for the screaming to start. I have no idea WHAT exactly this kid was screaming about but the mother starts yelling at her to be quiet and put on her boots and asking her if she wanted to have a time out/go to her room when they got home. The screaming wouldn't stop. Suddenly I become aware of another kind of growing noise on the bus.. more and more people murmuring to each other. We reach their stop and the mother gets off the bus and then yells at her kid to get off the bus and to put her boots on when she gets off since she didn't do it when the mother first told her etc. Finally she pulls the screaming kid off the bus, the doors close and the Bus suddenly ERUPTS and everyone has some comment to share with the rest of the bus about the incident we had all just witnessed. Funny how a screaming kid can suddenly make everyone more sociable.
on the number 1 heading for billings bridge - the bus is the usual quiet of people keeping to themselves. we stop by a daycare where we pick up a mother and child - child who is busy saying "bye" to two friends as she is climbing on the bus - cute. but it didn't take very long for the screaming to start. I have no idea WHAT exactly this kid was screaming about but the mother starts yelling at her to be quiet and put on her boots and asking her if she wanted to have a time out/go to her room when they got home. The screaming wouldn't stop. Suddenly I become aware of another kind of growing noise on the bus.. more and more people murmuring to each other. We reach their stop and the mother gets off the bus and then yells at her kid to get off the bus and to put her boots on when she gets off since she didn't do it when the mother first told her etc. Finally she pulls the screaming kid off the bus, the doors close and the Bus suddenly ERUPTS and everyone has some comment to share with the rest of the bus about the incident we had all just witnessed. Funny how a screaming kid can suddenly make everyone more sociable.
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x__stupidgirl on 2006.10.29 at 14:42
I have heard several people on here complain about bus service for games and concerts at Scotiabank Place.
I would like to suggest to all those people they try out the buses after a major event after the Civic Centre.
Hello, OC Transpo? Sending a non-articulated bus every 15 minutes for hundreds of people to leave isn't going to cut it. I had to wait for FOUR buses to go by, FOUR, until they sent ONE extra bus which filled up anyway.
If they know what's going on at Scotiabank Place, why don't they know what's going on at the Civic Centre and run extra buses? Because waiting for an hour to get on a bus is ridiculous when there are four that go by in that timespan.
I would like to suggest to all those people they try out the buses after a major event after the Civic Centre.
Hello, OC Transpo? Sending a non-articulated bus every 15 minutes for hundreds of people to leave isn't going to cut it. I had to wait for FOUR buses to go by, FOUR, until they sent ONE extra bus which filled up anyway.
If they know what's going on at Scotiabank Place, why don't they know what's going on at the Civic Centre and run extra buses? Because waiting for an hour to get on a bus is ridiculous when there are four that go by in that timespan.
I've realized that a lot of people don't know how to use the bus system properly and if they did, they would find it a whole lot less frustrating. Here are some tips and then other veteran drivers/riders can add to them. I'm only speaking of route navigation here, not etiquette.
1. Keep moving:
Don't wait for a specific route to come along when you have other choices that will take you in the right direction. Take that bus as far as you can to a place where you have more options. The bus you are waiting for might be late or full.
Example: If you want the #2 or #7 on Rideau and you're going to Bank st. take the 14, 18, 306 to the Rideau Center where you can also catch a #1 or #4. Or if you are waiting for a #2 Blair at Richmond and Woodroffe take the #18 or #87 to Westboro where the #2 leaves every 12 minutes instead of every half hour.
Another reason to keep moving is that sometimes if a bus is late or breaks down, OC control may insert and extra down the line from where you are waiting: let's say a 97 Airport breaks down at Lebreton station, OC control may only cover the trip from South-Keys station to the Airport, so you should always take the 97X South-Keys if it comes first and wait at the last stop for the Airport bus.
2.Don't wait for a bus that will take you right to the door if you can take one that will bring you within a few blocks:
Example: A lot of people wait for the #4 at the Rideau Center to go to the Bus Station when it's only a 3 minute walk from the #1 or #7. Don't wait for the #128 to show up if the #125 comes first and it's a 5 minute walk in from Innes.
3. Take the slower route to get to a destination if it comes first:
Example: If you're at Westboro going to Bayshore, the 97 arrives in 2 minutes and the 96 arrives in 10 minutes, take the 97 even though it takes 7 minutes longer to get to Bayshore.
4. Don't be afraid to backtrack:
Sometimes it's better to overshoot your destination and transfer than to take one route there directly.
Example: You're going to Montreal and Bathgate from downtown. It's probably faster and less exhausting to take any bus to Blair and then the #2 or #129 to Bathgate than to take the #2 all the way from downtown.
5. Alternatives:
There are lots of routes that will take you where you want to go but you don't know about them. Check out a route map or the OC website to see all the routes that will take you along the way to your destination.
Examples: The 101 follows the same route as the 95 from Hurdman to Orleans. It's also a fast way to go from west to east and vice versa. If you are waiting on Carling eastbound between Bayshore and Lincoln and a 182 comes along, take it. It's less crowded than the 85 and 97 and it takes the transitway from Lincoln to Lebreton & sometimes Hurdman. The 116 will take you from South-Keys to Hurdman during the afternoon rush hour...no need to stuff yourself on a 97.
6. Don't stuff yourself on a bus unless you have to/check if there is another bus coming right behind before you stuff yourself on.
Example: If you're waiting with the hordes at Campus station going to Orleans, take the first non stuffed bus that comes along to Hurdman and wait for a 95 or 101 there. The buses empty out a bit at Hurdman. Instead of stuffing yourself onto a #76, take the 95 to Fallowfield and wait for the 76 or a local there. Before you stuff yourself on a bus, look and see if there is another one right behind. I once drove a full number 2 with an empty one right behind and stopped way past a stop so that I could let off passengers while allowing the empty #2 to pull up to the stop. The idiots at the stop all ran up to my bus, got mad at me for pulling up past their stop, shoe-horned themselves on my bus while an opulent, empty number 2 was right there for them.
1. Keep moving:
Don't wait for a specific route to come along when you have other choices that will take you in the right direction. Take that bus as far as you can to a place where you have more options. The bus you are waiting for might be late or full.
Example: If you want the #2 or #7 on Rideau and you're going to Bank st. take the 14, 18, 306 to the Rideau Center where you can also catch a #1 or #4. Or if you are waiting for a #2 Blair at Richmond and Woodroffe take the #18 or #87 to Westboro where the #2 leaves every 12 minutes instead of every half hour.
Another reason to keep moving is that sometimes if a bus is late or breaks down, OC control may insert and extra down the line from where you are waiting: let's say a 97 Airport breaks down at Lebreton station, OC control may only cover the trip from South-Keys station to the Airport, so you should always take the 97X South-Keys if it comes first and wait at the last stop for the Airport bus.
2.Don't wait for a bus that will take you right to the door if you can take one that will bring you within a few blocks:
Example: A lot of people wait for the #4 at the Rideau Center to go to the Bus Station when it's only a 3 minute walk from the #1 or #7. Don't wait for the #128 to show up if the #125 comes first and it's a 5 minute walk in from Innes.
3. Take the slower route to get to a destination if it comes first:
Example: If you're at Westboro going to Bayshore, the 97 arrives in 2 minutes and the 96 arrives in 10 minutes, take the 97 even though it takes 7 minutes longer to get to Bayshore.
4. Don't be afraid to backtrack:
Sometimes it's better to overshoot your destination and transfer than to take one route there directly.
Example: You're going to Montreal and Bathgate from downtown. It's probably faster and less exhausting to take any bus to Blair and then the #2 or #129 to Bathgate than to take the #2 all the way from downtown.
5. Alternatives:
There are lots of routes that will take you where you want to go but you don't know about them. Check out a route map or the OC website to see all the routes that will take you along the way to your destination.
Examples: The 101 follows the same route as the 95 from Hurdman to Orleans. It's also a fast way to go from west to east and vice versa. If you are waiting on Carling eastbound between Bayshore and Lincoln and a 182 comes along, take it. It's less crowded than the 85 and 97 and it takes the transitway from Lincoln to Lebreton & sometimes Hurdman. The 116 will take you from South-Keys to Hurdman during the afternoon rush hour...no need to stuff yourself on a 97.
6. Don't stuff yourself on a bus unless you have to/check if there is another bus coming right behind before you stuff yourself on.
Example: If you're waiting with the hordes at Campus station going to Orleans, take the first non stuffed bus that comes along to Hurdman and wait for a 95 or 101 there. The buses empty out a bit at Hurdman. Instead of stuffing yourself onto a #76, take the 95 to Fallowfield and wait for the 76 or a local there. Before you stuff yourself on a bus, look and see if there is another one right behind. I once drove a full number 2 with an empty one right behind and stopped way past a stop so that I could let off passengers while allowing the empty #2 to pull up to the stop. The idiots at the stop all ran up to my bus, got mad at me for pulling up past their stop, shoe-horned themselves on my bus while an opulent, empty number 2 was right there for them.
x__stupidgirl on 2006.10.29 at 18:30
In contrast to my last, rant-y post, I would like to share an experience I found quite amusing.
My boyfriend and I get on the 95 Orleans at Bank last night around 11:30. We board through the back doors and sit right behind them. At the very back of the bus there is a group of 4-5 girls, obviously drunk and dressed like skanks (I'm assuming for some Halloween party). They're being very loud and obnoxious. At Rideau, the bus fills up very very quickly. As we turn onto Waller, one of them screams "IS THIS LAURIER?!" and one of them goes "NO, IT CAN'T BE!" The guy in front of them corrects them, stating that it is Laurier, so they ring the bell and get up, and the bus stops. The green open-door light comes on, but for some reason the one in the lead just stops walking at the steps. Just stops. So the bus pulls away, and they're all screaming "OH MY GOD! HE DIDN'T STOP! WHY DIDN'T HE STOP?! WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO WALK AN HOUR TO GET BACK THERE?!" Someone rings the bell up front. The bus stops at Campus. The girls don't even make a movement towards the door, they're still screaming about missing their stop because the bus didn't stop. Eventually, the guy who was standing at the door just pressed the bar to open it for them, and they got off, still screaming about the bus not stopping and having to walk miles to get back to where they wanted to go.
If I had of been in front of the door, I wouldn't have even done that. It would have been fun to see how far they got before realizing they actually have to open the door, not just stand on the step. Maybe I'm just mean, though.
My boyfriend and I get on the 95 Orleans at Bank last night around 11:30. We board through the back doors and sit right behind them. At the very back of the bus there is a group of 4-5 girls, obviously drunk and dressed like skanks (I'm assuming for some Halloween party). They're being very loud and obnoxious. At Rideau, the bus fills up very very quickly. As we turn onto Waller, one of them screams "IS THIS LAURIER?!" and one of them goes "NO, IT CAN'T BE!" The guy in front of them corrects them, stating that it is Laurier, so they ring the bell and get up, and the bus stops. The green open-door light comes on, but for some reason the one in the lead just stops walking at the steps. Just stops. So the bus pulls away, and they're all screaming "OH MY GOD! HE DIDN'T STOP! WHY DIDN'T HE STOP?! WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO WALK AN HOUR TO GET BACK THERE?!" Someone rings the bell up front. The bus stops at Campus. The girls don't even make a movement towards the door, they're still screaming about missing their stop because the bus didn't stop. Eventually, the guy who was standing at the door just pressed the bar to open it for them, and they got off, still screaming about the bus not stopping and having to walk miles to get back to where they wanted to go.
If I had of been in front of the door, I wouldn't have even done that. It would have been fun to see how far they got before realizing they actually have to open the door, not just stand on the step. Maybe I'm just mean, though.