Newsstand: February 9, 2010
Duly Quoted: Adam Giambrone
Adam Giambrone and Our Need for Political Wives
Bob Kinnear isn't Greg Kinnear
Scale Model City, Actual-Size Grime
Consider the following problem:
- You buy a discount plan metropass subscription from the TTC.
- For months, the TTC debits your bank account and your metro pass arrives in the mail.
- Then one day it doesn't.
- Your account has already been debited $91.50
- You call the TTC.
- The TTC lets you know that every month, they put thousands of metropasses into plain brown envelopes and release them to Canada Post, whereupon the passes become untraceable.
- Since Canada Post is completely, 100% infallable, you will definitely recieve your pass.
- If it doesn't arrive, it must be something to do with your karma.
- Your recourse? Buy another pass. At full price. $99.75
- What if it was stolen? The TTC has no way of verifying that. Buy another pass. $99.75
- What if it was lost? Your issue is with Canada Post. Buy another pass. $99.75
- Total cost for your metropass this month? $191.25.
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Wow, thats some bullshit...
Is this a new policy? My husband's pass did not arrive one month earlier this year; he called the TTC, and went to Davisville to pick up a replacement. They said that if the original ever showed up (it never did) we should post it back to them.
This was the stated policy at 9:30 this morning. Your way sounds better.
Wow, those bitches.
I phoned the TTC Metro Pass office to inquire about this because I've been considering the subscription option myself. This is what they told me:
-It's best if your mailbox is secure. If this isn't the case, you should provide the address of a P.O. box or other secure box.
-The passes usually arrive between the 16th and the 26th of the previous month. If your pass doesn't arrive, notify TTC as soon as possible.
-The first time a pass doesn't arrive, the TTC will offer you a replacement for pickup at Davisville station.
-The second time a pass doesn't arrive, the TTC will replace it, but also ask for a new address.
-(I didn't ask what would happen the third time it didn't arrive)
According to the person I spoke with, this is the 'official policy.' If you don't receive a pass, phone the TTC Metropass office and the situation can be resolved.
I reached this office by phoning the TTC information line and asking to be transferred to the MetroPass office.
I hope this information is helpful to you - let us know how it works out.
Now, the only question remaining is: do I get a Metropass subscription? Hm...
It would seem that following the above instructions will yeild different answers for different individuals.
Fascinating.
Haven't had that problem either. Once it didn't arrive. I phoned in, they said they couldn't trace it but I could go out, buy a new one, and then send them the receipt and photocopy of my pass/m-pass ID. Once they received that, they refunded the money to me.
Maybe they have to be more cautious now that passes are transferable and we dont scrawl our ID #'s on it
I was thinking that the transferable pass would make it less of an issue-- for instance, if one household was accidentally issued two passes, in these days of transferability there would now be less reason for that household not to return the second one.
Thanks for the additional suggestion, Tanja.
A few years ago I had the MDP and when one month my pass didn't arrive, they said to just buy one and they'd debit my account. Everything was pretty smooth. I think now that they're transferable it complicates things.
It is a stupid out-dated system. They should invest in automated machines that dispense a day/week/month pass, and then the pass becomes active after the first swipe( it is good for 30 days from that first swipe)...simple. Monthly pass purchases would increase and they would save on mailing costs...
I'm going to keep pursuing this with the good information everyone here has given me.
Ahh, its all part of the TTC's increasingly obvious plan to generally piss of the public at large and be as inefficient as possible...
Interesting. I was just about to get setup with the MDP, but this has me wondering if it's just easier to grab a pass myself each month.
"The TTC has no policy in place for replacement passes. We extend this courtesy under certain conditions but not as a policy. "
What those conditions might be, beyond, "the pass never arrived," I'm not sure.
They shouldn't be telling people they have a replacement policy for marketing purposes if they're not going to implement it consistently when it is needed.
Here in New York the MTA offers a simple and straightforward replacement policy for lost passes. Basically, it's insured as long as you buy with a credit card. Read about it here: http://mta.info/metrocard/insurance.htm
By the way, that monthly pass in New York costs about $85 Canadian. Too bad that the TTC doesn't care about transit costs in other cities. Seriously, get some government funding up there. TTC fares are a joke.
I'm so frustrated right now, and it's not even my pass.
This is why I walk everywhere. Curse this system.
Dave,
Totally, and the fares keep in increasing....
Not to mention, for a city of its size and wealth, the toronto transit system is terrible...it is set up for people who live in the suburbs, with barely any system in place in the acutal city core...
Montreal is half our size and the system is more useful.
agree wholeheartedly on the moe-real comment. just look at the size of the stations there...i feel like verdun or mcgill are like three times the size of any station in toronto
I'm from Montreal. Maybe I'm just spoiled. Still, funding issue aside, this CS issue is just surreal.
In fairness, the TO system is older and I do believe that would account for the size and layout of the stations here.
I'll admit to have an almost unreasonable adoration of the Montreal Metro system, but as long as we're day-dreaming about how things could be better: $63 adult metro passes. Sigh.
While I totes agree that Toronto really needs to get an electronic system like NY/London/Paris... just think of the times when you show up to pay fare and one of those "agent will return, please deposit fare" signs are up in the window.
And then you have the chance to either be an honest or a "YES FREE RIDE!" rider.
Now think of how that could never happen if you had a electronic system...
I've never had any issues with the efficiency of the TTC. I think it's easy to use, being set up like a grid. But I grew up in a small town with zero public transit.
Having experienced the transit in other cities like Montreal, San Francisco, Vancouver, New York, Prague, and Berlin, every system has their ups and downs. I do think TTC's pass system is inefficient and further, but the inefficiencies don't stop there - what's with that guy that sits at the gate that counts people during rush hour? He gets paid HOW MUCH for that job? And they complain they don't have enough money.
first sentence of last post.. I meant 'I never had any issues with the setup/ease of use of ttc'.. wow.. how inarticulate am I?
I think the TTC staff that deal directly with the public have to put up with a fair bit of abuse from the public (collectors, drivers, etc.). I spoke to a bus driver, and she said that was the worst part of the job. The TTC has such a profound effect on people's lives that it inevitably emotionally triggers people.
now take this problem and apply it to renewing your drivers license. Yes MTO sends it regular mail and when its lost or stolen they tell you canada post can track it.
after calling canada post they'll have a few laughs at your expense and tell you nothing they can do.
next step: go back to MTO and pay for another license, but dont drive your car or you will be charged for driving without a license. "canada - good government"
Maybe "such a profound effect" are not the right words. Perhaps "big impact" is better. I mean, so many people spend 1 to 2 hours each day on a TTC vehicle.
Every time I imagine how to improve various aspects of the TTC, I eventually get to the part where it has to be negotiated with the union and then I get a sinking feeling about why everything is like it is in the first place.
I believe the TTC recently spent over $200,000 on golf shirts for their drivers, because they were complaining their dress shirts were too hot in warmer weather.
I was slightly puzzled over that, considering I've seen drivers wearing short-sleeved dress shirts. Is there an enormous difference?
Why do they mail you passes? Why not have a rechargable card that they reload each month from your debit card? Many other cities do it that way?
Lost my metropass, still have the receipt. I bought it with a credit card, is there anything I can do?