For two summers during my undergrad, I worked at an office in the Hamilton downtown core. I took the bus from Westdale Village every morning, and rode the HSR home every afternoon. And every day, I resented having to pay for a service I used endlessly for a small flat-fee during the regular school year.

Call me entitled; in many ways, that’s an accurate description of my attitude towards the absence of a summer bus pass. But when McMaster graduate students have a year-round agreement with the HSR and the summer pass is only available to Mac undergraduates enrolled in summer classes (and still only saves students $16 a month), my disappointment in the current MSU agreement is warranted.

Now that the MSU-HSR contract is up for renegotiation before renewal, I hope to see some changes.

David Campbell (MSU President) and Jeffrey Doucet (MSU VP Finance) have been pushing hard on the student transit issue since August, and an announcement regarding a new agreement is expected for next week. Major points the new agreement is expected to address include summer service and expanded hours of service through campus to cater to late-night student activity.

I hope the powers-that-be sit up and take notice of the argument that summer and late-night service is important not only to student life enhancement but also to stimulating the Hamilton economy.

Graduate rentention in a city notorious for appearing heavily unattractive to prospective McMaster students, and for those students then staying within the “campus bubble” while at school, is an important issue for the City to address.

One step towards keeping educated, energetic grads in the city is to make Hamilton more welcoming when they are students, be that encouraging them to stay and work through the summers or to simply explore the city at all hours.

Hopefully the new MSU-HSR agreement reflects students needs and the potential students have for rejuvenating the Steel City.

 

Tobi Abdul
Staff Reporter

It has happened to all of us at one point: there you are, on time for the bus, only a few metres away when it just flies by, without you on it, causing you to be late for whatever important presentation or appointment you were off to. Or similarly, it’s freezing cold and you’re on time for the bus and just before literally freezing your fingers off, it does come. But unbelievably late, causing you to be late for whatever important presentation or appointment you were off to.

If you’ve ever been on the 5 or the 51, you know that once the bus reaches campus, it basically empties. Yet, despite this, the HSR has done nothing to cater its services on the 5 or 51 towards students.

We may not pay per trip, but regardless of how much we pay in comparison to what it costs, the fact that we do should guarantee us a service that actually works for us, instead of one where it’s a gamble as to if the buses are even going to show up at all.

To quote HBO: winter is coming. And despite all the bundling up that us Canadians have to endure to survive the freezing cold, walking sucks.

The HSR is unreliable at best. I may not know much about the bureaucracy behind the bus system but I can’t imagine that it really takes that much to make sure the buses are relatively on time or viagra alternative at most, make sure the buses actually show up.

We deserve something a little better considering that we pay for this service and until the HSR recognizes the fact that the student demographic are its biggest constituents on the 5 or 51, they will make no steps to give us better service.

 

 

        @toe_bee

At a Public Works meeting on Nov. 4, MSU president David Campbell and VP (Finance) Jeffrey Doucet briefed councillors on the MSU's proposed improvements to HSR service. The MSU is exploring a 12-month HSR student discount or a student opt-in during the summer, in addition to expanded service on the 51 route.

The MSU-HSR agreement expires every three years and is currently under renegotiation.

The MSU's proposed changes would cost roughly $400,000 more, according to the HSR's estimate. Negotiations are underway regarding how much of the cost would be shouldered by students and how much the City would invest. The results of the negotiation, including potential student fee changes, are expected to go to referendum in January 2014 during the MSU presidential election.

Before Campbell and Doucet began their presentation at City Hall this morning, some committee members questioned whether the MSU should address the committee with negotiations underway.

"I just need some clarity on the delegation - are we in negotiations with McMaster?" councillor Powers asked. "This is very awkward."

"You're going to have people who are negotiating with the City speak their case in public while binding the City from speaking their case in public," another councillor said.

The meeting's chair clarified that the committee was only to listen to the presentation and not take action.

After the initial confusion, Campbell emphasized that the MSU wanted "to give an update on the work [they are] doing with transit as it relates to retention in the city."

Currently, students pay $126.15 for an 8-month bus pass effective between September and April. Summer students may choose to buy a discounted HSR pass at $71 per month.

"Students are very happy with the value of our bus pass...but students have indicated to us that they want to invest more into transit to target enhanced service to the campus during the day as well as summer service. Those are the two issues students want us to work on," Doucet said.

The MSU also proposed that a further discount on summer bus passes would give students incentive to stay in Hamilton during the summer and consider staying in the city long-term.

When asked about summer student demographics, Doucet said about 6,000 students took summer classes last year, but most were taking just one or two courses.

"We see a lot of students getting research-type grants and who are working on campus but might not be in classes," he added.

During the question period, councillors were interested in whether enhanced service would lead to an increased student presence outside of Westdale.

"Students staying around in the summer - it's a huge factor in them being able to see the value in living in the city long-term," Campbell said. "We think the two main obstacles to students staying around in the summer are jobs and then the difficulty of getting to the jobs."

The MSU will meet with HSR representatives later this week to discuss their proposal submitted in August.

 

Those commuting in Downtown Hamilton will notice a significant change when driving along King Street throughout the week. The one-year public-transit-only lane pilot project was finally launched early in the morning on Oct. 23 following numerous delays throughout September.

The lane will operate as transit-only 24/7 for a trail period of one year and is exclusive to buses operated by the HSR, GO Transit, Greyhound viagra online and Coach Canada, as well as emergency vehicles.

The project is set to gauge the effectiveness of a lane exclusive to transit and emergency vehicles on the flow of traffic in the congested streets.

With the north lane exclusive to buses, running along King St. East from Mary to New Street, one block east of Dundurn, drivers and cyclists will be limited to two lanes for the same portion length of the street. Any private vehicle driver taking advantage of the new lanes will be subject to a fine of $65.

"The bus priority project is a very progressive step allowing us to test the use of a dedicated lane in preparation for future rapid transit in our city,” said Ward One Councillor Brian McHattie. “Hamilton can join with the very best middle-sized cities in Canada in putting transit first."

Preparation had been made weeks in advance for the $300,000 project with signage being posted, but weather delays on Oct. 21 postponed the use of the lane until street markings could be painted. The prominent change to street parking also led to the installation of new display parking machinery.

Disabled & Aged Regional Transportation (DART) vehicles and taxis are allowed limited access to the lane when dropping off passengers, while all other vehicles will face fines, except in the case of turns at an intersection or driveway.

This time next year, city staff will evaluate the need for the lane. The general issues committee will make decisions based off of feedback from the community.

Bus service changes were part of President David Campbell’s platform during the election race last January, and now he’s set to make good on those promises.

“The [Hamilton Street Railway] bus pass fee is triannual, so every three years we renew it with the HSR,” said Campbell. “Our current agreement is expiring in April, so it was already going to come to referendum in January. That’s what inspired me as part of my platform to say ‘there are a lot of improvements to service we could think about here.’”

The improvements Campbell is seeking give this year’s negotiations a different level of importance.

“In the past, when it was getting renewed, it was a lot of ‘let’s just renegotiate the cost for similar levels of service.’ But now we’ve taken a more aggressive approach in the sense of early on in the year we wanted to make contact with the HSR and say ‘we obviously want to renegotiate our current agreement, and where can we make some improvements,’” said Jeff Doucet, VP Finance.

The McMaster Students Union has prioritized what it hopes to accomplish, and an agreement regarding bus service for summer students tops that list. A Facebook poll found that students, too, overwhelmingly regard it as a chief concern. Thousands of students remain on campus in the summer taking classes or working, but currently the bus pass included in tuition expires at the end of April. Students taking classes can purchase a slightly discounted summer pass at Compass, but the rate it is significantly more expensive at $72 per month than the $63.08 students pay per semester in the Fall and Winter.

Also among the MSU’s priorities is extending bus service later into the night. That’s a concern that the HSR says it has heard from other groups in the community.

“We were surprised,” said Doucet. “We’re not the only people saying the buses aren’t running late enough. One o’clock, 1:20 a.m. is pretty early to stop the buses in a major city.”

“It’s a safety thing, too, right? It’s adequate provision of service,” added Campbell. “It’s not just drunk people getting home, it’s people getting home safely from the bars, from work, from wherever they might be.”

In addition to adding more bus service at night, the MSU would like to see current bus times changed to better service the university.  Currently, the HSR increases the amount of buses through campus at busy times, but the increase is spread evenly throughout the hour rather than clustered around times when classes start or finish.

“Let’s look at the University 51 and say ‘this has been identified as a line for the university […] maybe this is the one we can play around with,’” said Doucet.

They are looking to other municipalities, such as Doucet’s hometown of Ottawa, as a guide for what service may be appropriate. However, they’re also keeping their expectations measured.

“[Changing the bus schedules] is a major change. That’s the one that sort of ranks lower in our priorities because we recognize how difficult it would be for the HSR to do,” said Campbell.

Still, a positive aura surrounds the discussions as a whole.  “We’re getting along well and we’re really optimistic about what can happen. There’s been a lot of give and take,” said Campbell.

Hopefully come January, students will see some of these options on the ballot.

Sophia Catania / The Silhouette

Hamiltonians have been voicing uninformed, negative opinions regarding the city’s motion to move away from the current Voluntary Pay program. This transit policy exempts physically disabled individuals from paying the standard fare to ride an HSR bus. However, one must take the time to look at the changes that are being made. It is clear that the city is making a valid improvement by introducing fare parity on public transit.

The Voluntary Pay program is unique to only a handful of cities in Ontario. Of the few cities that still use it, many have begun to adopt a Fare Parity policy. People with disabilities pay standard fares in most cities across the province.

The reason these cities use a Fare Parity policy is to ensure no discrimination takes place. Those advocating against fare parity have criticized the city’s interpretation of the Ontario Transportation Standard made under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) 2005. This act prohibits the use of a two-tiered fare system. The general public is reminding the city that AODA is intended to prohibit a two-tiered system that charges the disabled a higher fare, not charging them a lesser fare.

Despite this, allowing individuals with physical disabilities to ride the bus for free creates a two-tiered system that discriminates against people who are forced to pay the standard fare and favours certain disabled groups. The HSR determines what disabilities are eligible for the Voluntary Pay program. Currently, anyone relying on the use of a wheelchair, scooter, walker, and/or cane is exempt from paying the standard fare. This is discriminating against other disabled groups, such as those suffering from mental disorders.

In response to the community’s concerns, the city has deferred their decision until April 3, in the hopes that a method of evaluating individual circumstances can be developed. If they are successful, the Fare Parity policy may not be enacted. Instead, the Voluntary Pay program will remain with modifications. The city will attempt to develop a confidential testing system to determine if standard fare is beyond one’s means, regardless of the nature of their disability.

The problem then lies in determining who would qualify for such fare exemptions. The most feasible solution to this problem is to replace the Voluntary Pay Program with the Fare Parity policy. This will eliminate any discrimination, without introducing the difficult task of picking and choosing which disabilities should qualify for fare exemptions. Are people with physical disabilities exempt from paying the standard fare because they must rely primarily on public transportation? Does their disability impede them from being able to afford the standard fare rate? If this is true, it should also be true for those with disabilities beyond physical impairments, such as an individual with Autism or suffering from depression.

Many people have argued that the city is imposing an unnecessary financial burden onto the physically disabled. However, there are many systems in place to provide individuals with affordable public transportation. For example, the Affordable Transit Pass program allows those with yearly incomes below $17,570 to purchase an HSR monthly pass for half the price. Anyone can apply for this program, including those with physical and mental disabilities.

In 1996, 25 wheelchair accessible low floor buses were introduced in Hamilton, allowing passengers with disabilities to the use the HSR. However, only a handful of accessible buses existed.

People with physical disabilities often had to wait for an accessible bus to come. As such, it was decided that it would be an effective compromise to adopt a voluntary pay system for those users. Today, the entire fleet of over 200 buses is wheelchair accessible. Therefore, all users can use the HSR at any time. A compromise is no longer necessary.

The city has finally realized the need to re-evaluate the function of the outdated Voluntary Pay program. The Fare Parity policy is simply the best method of ensuring fair and inclusive transit for everyone in the city of Hamilton.

Gavin Schulz, the creator of Bus Ticker, is a fourth-year economics and computer science student at McMaster.

When Gavin Schulz created Bus Ticker, he was doing it for himself as much as anyone else.

“I found it useful,” said the fourth-year economics and computer science student at McMaster. “I figured other people would find it useful as well.”

The Bus Ticker app, which can run on iOS, Android and BlackBerry, provides a listing of HSR bus arrival times for a given stop. A user can enter a stop number, or allow the app to locate the nearest stops itself, and see when the next five buses are coming for each bus route.

“The other options, like the phone-in service from the HSR or Google Maps, just took a long time and were more complicated than they needed to be. I decided to build something that would make it really easy to find out when the next bus is coming,” said Schulz.

Not only does the call-in service take a longer time to give you less information, he said, but it also requires that you know your four-digit stop code. Google Maps provides similar data, but presents it in the form of a complete trip. Bus Ticker, he explained, has a much higher information density than the other options.

HSR makes bus information available online for a couple of months at a time, said Schulz. He updates Bus Ticker by downloading the information and re-purposing it for the app.

After starting work on the app in early October, Schulz presented and launched it at Software Hamilton’s DemoCamp on Nov. 20. Bus Ticker – originally called the “Next Bus” app before a trademark conflict surfaced – was one of six demos at the event, which is run annually by Kevin Browne, a PhD candidate in McMaster’s computing and software department.

The app is currently free for download from bustickerapp.com.

“The way I look at it, I could charge for it and make a little bit of money – realistically, maybe a couple hundred dollars, and I’d have a couple hundred people using it – or I could make it free … and I could have a lot of people using it and getting value from it,” said Schulz.

Earlier this month, Schulz emailed an open letter to Hamilton’s city council, pushing them to mandate real-time updates from the HSR. He has been working with Open Hamilton, a citizens' group that believes City data and information should be freely available, on that pursuit.

Whether or not Bus Ticker offers updates in the event that a bus is delayed or re-routed was something that came up a number of times as DemoCamp, he said, but that information is not currently available from the HSR.

"We [at Open Hamilton] have been trying to get the HSR to release real-time data available to developers," said Schulz. "I think [Bus Ticker] is really effective in terms of showing the City that people are here waiting to build on that data once they’re ready to give it to us.”

Schulz would like to see the project evolve with an SMS service for commuters without smartphones, as well as a browser extension so that Bus Ticker is available from a personal computer.

“I like building things. I like creating things; it’s fun,” he said. “There’s a satisfaction in seeing people use it.”

With millions invested in preliminary research on a light-rail transit system in Hamilton, the City is under pressure to move the project forward.

Over the past five years, Hamiltonians, councillors and McMaster representatives have been making the case to the province for LRT in Hamilton.

LRT would provide train access every two or three minutes to downtown Hamilton. The system is expected to benefit local commuters and frequent users of the B-line bus route. As part of a downtown renewal plan, LRT also has the potential to draw more students to the core of the city.

Recently, Mayor Bob Bratina has come under heavy scrutiny by community members for not pursuing the initiative more aggressively.

Complicating matters further, Dalton McGuinty’s resignation last week as leader of Ontario’s Liberal Party means LRT supporters likely have to wait even longer for action.

“There’s a lot of uncertainty right now. I wish I could say this could happen very soon, but with the economy and Ontario’s political situation, I don’t think we’re going to hear back definitively from the province until 2014,” said Brian McHattie, Hamilton city councillor for McMaster’s ward.

Given the amount of time and money already spent on the initiative, many are seeking clarity on whether LRT is on track to happen.

So far, evidence suggests there are significant social and economic benefits to justify having light-rail transit in Hamilton.

According to a 2010 operational review by the HSR, bus ridership in the east-west direction that LRT would encompass was roughly 13,000 per day.

“The B-line is by far the busiest line we have in the city,” said McHattie. “Sometimes you’ll see buses pass by their stops because they’re too full. LRT would be able to carry many more passengers, and it would be faster.”

To date, $9 million has been invested in preliminary research to make the case for LRT. The province has designated $3 million for a required Environmental Assessment.

Estimates for the cost to build the LRT B-line are much higher, ranging from $900 million to $1 billion.

“Initially, and until they say otherwise, the province has earmarked $2 billion a year for 25 years for the MoveOntario plan,” said councillor Jason Farr. “That’s all we know at this point.”

In September 2011, City Council requested full provincial funding on two LRT lines in Hamilton.

Other cities in the GTA are also pursuing provincial funding on LRT systems. Toronto recently secured full capital funding from Metrolinx for its $6 billion Eglinton-Scarborough cross-town LRT, prompting many to insist Hamilton deserves the same treatment.

“In October 2011, Metrolinx said we were ahead of the pack,” said Farr. “Since then, we have heard they may be looking at alternative funding sources, and that could be anything – it could mean creating a new tax specific to the MoveOntario initiative or to Hamilton’s LRT plan.”

“It doesn’t mean LRT is dead, though – it does not mean that,” he said.

In August of this year, Ontario’s minister of infrastructure and transportation Bob Chiarelli finally confirmed that the City would have to raise a portion of the funds on its own.

It is uncertain how much Hamiltonian taxpayers will have to pitch in.

This uncertainty prompted Mayor Bob Bratina to express hesitation in a Chamber of Commerce luncheon in Stoney Creek earlier this month.

Bratina said he was reluctant to move ahead with LRT plans before funding details are released.

Councillor McHattie said the City intends to join the Chamber of Commerce’s LRT taskforce committee, on which McMaster University has representation. He added that the Council would also be interested in working with the McMaster Students Union.

Last year, the MSU launched a “We need LRT” campaign. Former VP (Education) Alicia Ali and SRA representative Chris Erl brought forth a motion to amend one of the MSU’s transit policies. A two-line edit to the policy reads that the MSU supports the LRT initiative in Hamilton.

Students were asked to give feedback by tweeting with the hashtag #WeNeedLRT whenever they missed a bus or were unsatisfied with HSR service, and about 100 tweets were tracked up until September.

Since then, several additions have been made to HSR bus service to McMaster.

“We haven’t heard as many complaints on social media about missed buses in the morning,” said Huzaifa Saeed, current VP (Education) of the MSU, who worked with the City’s transit department in the summer to increase HSR service to the Ancaster Meadowlands.

Saeed says he hasn’t abandoned the LRT initiative, but needs student backing from the SRA and interest from the student body before he could push for LRT on behalf of McMaster students.

“I think the momentum [in the LRT campaign] has died down at the city level, and the province isn’t saying anything yet.”

If LRT were to be implemented down the road, Don Hull, director of transit at the City, said the system “would likely replace some of the bus network we have near McMaster, most notably the B-line. It would call for the restructuring of [HSR] service.”

But that is a long way off – ten to fifteen years ahead, said Hull.

“We’re currently working on a fall report for Council that would provide details of how LRT could be implemented,” said Hull.

Over the past few months, work has also been done to determine a preferred site for a transit terminal on campus, and a recommendation has been made to locate it near the parking lot at Cootes Drive and Main Street.

“That work is continuing,” said Gord Arbeau, director of public and community relations at McMaster. “McMaster is a supporter of the LRT initiative and will continue to work with the City to make a case for this investment.”

Aside from the MSU’s endorsement of LRT and a short-lived student campaign last year, there has been little student feedback on a major transit initiative that would connect McMaster to the rest of Hamilton.

Forty-one new HSR buses are now on the streets in the Ancaster-Dundas-Flamborough-Westdale area. The aim of the City’s initiative is to provide local residents with improved service while using greener vehicles for better air quality.

Of the 41 new buses, only four will contribute to route extension, while the remaining 37 will replace older models that are less fuel-efficient and have reached their 12-year lifespan.

The newer buses are mini-hybrid models with electric cooling fans that reduce the amount of energy needed to cool the engine. The buses weigh 1000 pounds less than previous models and have a new transmission designed for smoother operation and increased fuel economy.

Mayor Bob Bratina said in a press release that public transportation is a key strategic priority for City Council.

“These new buses will allow the HSR to provide increased capacity and more reliable transit service to our riders," he said in the release. "We hope Hamiltonians will consider leaving their car at home more often and taking transit instead.”

The total cost of the new buses is $18.8 million, $6 million of which comes from the City of Hamilton’s Gas Tax Fund allocation from the federal government. The City contributed $1.13 million to the project and Transit Reserves provided the remaining $11.67 million.

As of Sept. 2, service level increases affecting students and residents are also in effect.

5A/ 5C West Hamilton
(Saturdays and Sundays)

Buses are now departing to and from Ancaster Meadowlands every 30 minutes on weekends from approximately 6 a.m. to 12 a.m. This provides additional direct service from the Westdale/University area to the stores, restaurants and services in the Meadowlands.

43 Stone Church
(Saturdays and Sundays)

Buses now run every 60 minutes on Saturday evenings (approximately
7 p.m. to 1 a.m.) and during shopping hours on Sundays (10 a.m. to 6 p.m.).

44 Rymal
(Weekdays)

Expanded service has been added every hour during the midday and early evening.
#44 Rymal will now operate between 6 a.m. and 9 p.m.

One additional westbound and eastbound trip has been added to 51 University in the evenings, and minor trip adjustments have been made to 41 Mohawk on Sundays and Holidays to provide better connections with the new 5A/5C route.

Dina Fanara

Assistant News Editor

 

Students trying to get to and from McMaster may have a hassle on their hands.

Hamilton Street Railway (HSR) workers may begin striking on Jan. 30 after Members of the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 107 voted 94 per cent to strike on Jan. 15.

The HSR workers, under the ATU Local 107, have been in negotiations with the City of Hamilton for a three-year contract. Despite over a year of negotiation, an agreement has not been reached, during which time, HSR workers have been on the job without a contract.

Some demands made by ATU Local 107 include annual hourly pay increases for the next three years, changes to overtime pay for part-time workers and increased vacation allowance based on years of service. a

A Jan. 24 offer by the City was rejected by the union. If negotiations fall through, over 600 employees will strike.

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