August 16, 2007
What TTC.ca Might Be
Eight months after Torontoist, Reading Toronto, Spacing, and BlogTO all banded together to solicit reader comments to improve the TTC's website and after Adam Giambrone agreed to re-open the Request for Proposal (RFP) to allow for "a more ambitious and exciting project," there has finally been some news to report of late. Last week, Adam Giambrone told Torontoist that the website would launch sometime in the fall, and would definitely feature everyone's top request––a trip planner. Yesterday, in the process of a godammed-extensive breakdown of his grievances, transit nut Joe Clark synthesized some details about the way that the TTC wants its new website to run. Plausibility aside, the TTC's wishlist for it's site designer gives us a look––albeit a very incomplete one––into the general idea of what we'll get come fall when the TTC's website fills our hearts with joy and delight.
Among the more salient points in the RFP provided by Clark:
- There will be "trip planning, eCommerce, automated customer notification, next-vehicle arrival (they only mention “train” and “bus”), and Wheel-Trans trip booking."
- The site will be "'easily and quickly downloadable,' even on a 56K modem."
- The site will be designed "to function effectively with common versions of software, hardware, and Internet browsers (i.e., Internet Explorer 5 or higher, Netscape 6 or higher, Firefox, Opera 8 or higher, and Safari).”
- It will have “RSS feeds and [a] Blog.”
- It will have some kind of system “'for the functionality and capability of Multi-Language translations. The Company will work with TTC to define, select, and implement an optimal translation tool for a number of languages (e.g., Portuguese, Cantonese, Mandarin [not materially different when written], Italian, Spanish, French, Polish, Russian, Vietnamese, Korean, Greek, Tamil, and Tagalog).'”
- There will be "Station and route pages....; What’s New; FAQ; 'Forward to a friend' and print-friendly functionality; clickable maps."
- There will be "Onscreen font and colour adjustment; 'software to enable visitor to listen to the text' (yes, speech output); accesskeys."
- "There will be a public beta."
- There will be a "'audio/video tour' of a station on its page. Oh, and mention of any stores in a station."
Thanks to Paige Dzenis for tipping us off!
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RFP is request for proposals. So by September 13, proposals must be in. Then it'll take some months to approve a proposal, then many more months to execute. So the trees will be turning next year by the time you see a redesigned ttc.ca. Actually, given the speech requirements and numerous translations required, I'd predict they'll get some sticker-shock when the quotes come back, and it'll be two years or more.
I thought the city (and the TTC) were trying to save money?? Although the TTC is in need of a functional website, I don't think this is the best time to be spending this kind of money.
Guest #1, don't dash our hopes!
Guest #2, the TTC's budget shortfall is only temporary and is entirely conditional on whether or not those taxes go through in October (see our interview with Giambrone). I think that stopping all improvements that the TTC has slated sets a bad precedent.
Temporary and conditional shortfall? How temporary is it if the condition is not met?
What is wrong with setting a precedent regarding not spending money that you do not have for all but the most essential matters?
Pardon, I meant conditional. I'm assuming it's temporary because I sincerely believe that the taxes will be voted into effect come October and that, if they aren't, some other solution will pop up from either the provincial or federal governments.
I think that paring the city down to bare essentials is problematic for a number of reasons, though obviously it makes the most sense economically. Do we really want a TTC that is merely sustained, never improved? Besides, the website is probably going to be a drop in the bucket, far far less than a percent of the TTC's budget...
I am reliably told the new site won’t launch till January.
You must mean January of 2009 right? Given the long list above, I don't see how a site that complex can be ready by January when it's only given approval (at the earliest) late September.
It's pretty ambitious though. I wish you luck.
A ground-up redevelopment of a Web site could plausibly be paid out of a capital budget. It’s operating funds that are at risk, along with Giambrone’s career if he does what he’s threatening to do.
There's no way anything that complex is going to be custom made before Fall ends. January seems like a way more reasonable deadline. A year is excessive, but I imagine 6 months is about enough.
Also, a couple of professional devs working for 3-6 months will probably cost something like ~$100k. Them folks don't come cheap, but something like that is a rounding error in a budget the size of the TTC (hundreds of millions?).
Before any of this begins it seems to me that more thought and planning should go into it. This list does not seem well thought out.
'There will be "trip planning, eCommerce, automated customer notification, next-vehicle arrival (they only mention “train” and “bus”), and Wheel-Trans trip booking."'
I remember rumours over a year ago that Google was considering doing TTC integration into Google Maps. I don't know if this was true but it would be an *excellent* (and cost effective) way to do so. There's no need to implement a custom solution here.
'The site will be "'easily and quickly downloadable,' even on a 56K modem."'
I don't think 56K modems should be considered here. Toronto is not a city that lacks bandwidth. I'm not saying it should be littered with Flash and other such things, but designing for 56K can be very limiting.
'It will have “RSS feeds and [a] Blog.”'
For what? It feels like this was put here to be buzzword compliant. There may indeed be a good reason to have one or both of these. I hope they are not added for the sake of having one.
'There will be "Onscreen font and colour adjustment; 'software to enable visitor to listen to the text' (yes, speech output); accesskeys."
A website should not be implementing accessibility functions. There is a lot of software out there that *already* does this much better. If you want to make the page accessible, be standards compliant and design so your pages are easily readable by text-to-speech readers and can be scaled for the visually impaired (without screwing up the layout).
Along those lines, Joe's breakdown of his complaints with the TTC's suggestions is definitely worth reading...
Tell Guest_12:02 that it is imperative TTC own its own geospatial data, which they are developing, in a separate project, at great cost (well into the six figures and worth every penny).
When Google goes tits-up (it will) or changes its terms of service (it will) or gives incorrect directions that cause a bride to miss her own wedding (for example), the imputed cost saving of using Google’s data will have been a false economy. Also, Guest, you probably don’t know this, but TTC-level use of Google data costs real money. Spend more to get more.
York Region Transit just launched their new website a couple of days. Check it out.
NEW: http://www.yrt.ca
OLD: http://yrt.ca
The YRT’s new Web site uses tiny images instead of real text, has 40 validation errors, and presents a trip planner that uses tables for layout and cannot be operated without JavaScript. Just for shits and giggles, here’s what the trip planner looks like in text-only mode. (If that seems like an unrealistic use case, you must not own a BlackBerry.) I could bounce them on Web accessibility about five ways in about as many minutes.
But, you know, their buses have tables to put your laptop on, so let’s give them A for effort.
Could Torontoist do the city a favour and create an entry that clarifies that the city is dealing with TWO different budgets. I think few Torontonians understand what is even going on with this financial issue. Maybe with pretty pictures and big letters.
Think of it like your own household. You make a wage, you have rent and other utilities you have to pay. Perhaps you have a car that you have to fill with gas. In this case, your wage isn't enough to pay for those items. You need to either get yourself a raise or get rid of the car. That is the operating budget.
But lets say you want to open yourself a lemonade stand. You of course don't have the money for it, however, the lemonade stand will eventually make money. So, you borrow the $50 for the plywood and lemons and do the math. For 50 cents a glass, you should have it paid off by the end of the summer. Next summer you'll be in profits with your lemonade stand and you can use the occasional couple of quarters to help pay the rent. That is the Capital Budget
So, basically, the city takes on new projects with borrowed money under the condition that its something that will bring money back in (The borrowed money and then some). The website for example is something that could easily create extra money for the TTC and city. It has enormous 'potential worth'.
So people, please stop bitching about something that is a non-issue. If anything, the extra riders the website will bring will only help alleviate the operating budget crunch in the future.
The TTC can't (and shouldn't) operate on a budget solely from the City, which is why funding from the Province is so essential. The main problem right now is that the Province chipped-in capital to build stuff (like the Sheppard line), but doesn't contribute to the massive operating costs of that infrastructure.
Plus, it's not entirely fair to build a system, fund it, and then bail years later with a "sorry, it's your problem now. Sucks to be you." Especially when that system is a crucial element to maintaining the province's economy. Sadly, once again, it's the people who can least afford personal transportation and who use the more eco-friendly method who get shafted.