London Public Transit

[haljackey]

I'm pretty sure buses in other cities have full-body advertisements on their buses as well. The New Flyer models London uses are in many cities in North America. It's just something we have to live with.
-And ya, the Smartmoves one is a joke. I gave up on that site many months ago.

And hybrids have been in use for about a year now. The first hybrids were smaller buses meant to replace those community shuttle things and whatnot. More recently however, full size hybrids have hit the roads.

Although I would rather see the LTC use natural gas, hybrid technology works quite well with buses because they remain stopped for so long all day. This allows the batteries to charge up and those are mounted at the top of the bus, not taking up valuable space inside like trunks for cars.

They cost a lot more money than regular buses but when I see cities like Chicago use hydrogen fuel cell buses it shows we need to at least go for hybrid/natural gas models.

[Kokkei Mizu]

Originally Posted by Simpseatles

One of my biggest beefs with the LTC has to be with advertisements. Some of the buses are basically just moving billboards. I don't mind small signs bellow the windows, but I can't stand the ones that cover up the entire bus, including windows. I've seen a giant Christmas one last year, a Westmount one (but they need all the people they can get), an awful Smart Moves one shwing a "futuristic" city bus and cars with happy kids on bikes, and my least favourite, the Station Park All Suite Hotel. "A world class hotel in a world class city!" Ya right, a "world class" city sure as hell wouldn't plaster an ad for a hotel on the side of a bus. They're just such an eyesore and it gives visitors a bad impression of our city.

Also, I saw a bus the other day that said hybrid on the side. I don't remember where but I was really surprised. I know you can find hybrids in many other places, but I've never heard anything about them being in London. Anybody else know what I'm talking about?

It just means it's a hybrid between a bus and a billboard

[ForestryW]

Haha. A busboard. Of the transitidae family.

Someone told me hybrid buses are in fact very inefficient because they are almost always either accelerating or decelerating, which takes more fuel. The net result is they are only slightly more efficient than conventional fuel buses.
Is this true?

[manny_santos]

And of course there's no less than three LTC buses plastered with Centretown Pawnbrokers. I once saw all three of them downtown at one time.

What I dislike most about LTC's advertising is what's inside the buses. Virtually all the advertising is aimed at the welfare ghetto demographics, nothing at MOPEs (Managers, Owners, Professionals, Executives). A typical LTC bus contains the following ad cards:

- Smart Moves London
- Centretown Pawnbrokers
- Stream Global Services (Start your new career TODAY!)
- Lifestyles condoms
- Middlesex-London Health Unit
- Gambling addiction help hotlines

As a student pursuing a career in business management I find the ads a little insulting, aside from the health unit ones and Smart Moves. Just because I take the bus doesn't mean I need a payday loan, that I have gambling problems, that I'm unemployed and will work in a call center getting yelled at all day by people, or, um, need a lot of condoms. I take the bus because it's more cost-effective and I am a believer in public transit. From a marketing standpoint though, except for the condom ads, advertisers are really wasting their money advertising to MOPEs that take the bus - and there are some in London.

On the other hand in Toronto and New York, ads inside the subways are for things like HBO or local radio stations. Things actually relevant to MOPEs.

[MolsonExport]

Originally Posted by Simpseatles

One of my biggest beefs with the LTC has to be with advertisements. Some of the buses are basically just moving billboards. I don't mind small signs bellow the windows, but I can't stand the ones that cover up the entire bus, including windows. I've seen a giant Christmas one last year, a Westmount one (but they need all the people they can get), an awful Smart Moves one shwing a "futuristic" city bus and cars with happy kids on bikes, and my least favourite, the Station Park All Suite Hotel. "A world class hotel in a world class city!" Ya right, a "world class" city sure as hell wouldn't plaster an ad for a hotel on the side of a bus. They're just such an eyesore and it gives visitors a bad impression of our city.

Also, I saw a bus the other day that said hybrid on the side. I don't remember where but I was really surprised. I know you can find hybrids in many other places, but I've never heard anything about them being in London. Anybody else know what I'm talking about?

^yep. Being at/near UWO daily, I've seen them all.

I loathe the term: World Class. there is a hidden word in the term, that says it all (hint: starts with 'a').

[MolsonExport]

What I dislike most about LTC's advertising is what's inside the buses. Virtually all the advertising is aimed at the welfare ghetto demographics, nothing at MOPEs (Managers, Owners, Professionals, Executives). A typical LTC bus contains the following ad cards:

- Smart Moves London
- Centretown Pawnbrokers
- Stream Global Services (Start your new career TODAY!)
- Lifestyles condoms
- Middlesex-London Health Unit
- Gambling addiction help hotlines

truer words were never spoken. another disincentive for taking the bus.

[haljackey]

Was on a hybrid bus for the first time today. The interior didn't seem any different, although the bus was much quieter. After being stopped at a light, the bus accelerates without much noise, which caught me off guard the first time. I thought something was wrong the gears lol.

[bolognium]

Originally Posted by manny_santos

What I dislike most about LTC's advertising is what's inside the buses. Virtually all the advertising is aimed at the welfare ghetto demographics, nothing at MOPEs (Managers, Owners, Professionals, Executives).

Aside from LTC, my only other daily public transit experience is with KW's Grand River Transit, but their advertising was no different than London's. It was always lawyers, condoms, money troubles, continuing education and disease awareness.

While I agree that the advertising isn't helping improve ridership, I don't think it's fair to single out the LTC for its advertisements.

[Blitz]

I spent most of today Christmas shopping downtown and after that experience I'm more in favour of removing buses from Dundas Street downtown. I don't mean to be judgemental but the people that just linger around the Dundas/Richmond area are really dragging it down. Some of the things I saw and heard today were disgusting and it seems like it's just getting worse. Maybe some of the offices like Ontario Works and the various other social services in that area need to move too.

I live downtown so I deal with it all the time but I'm just thinking that if a tourist from the nearby hotels walked along Dundas Street at any given time they wouldn't leave with the best impression just because of the people.

[MolsonExport]

^what, you don't like the smell of pee?

[manny_santos]

Originally Posted by Blitz

I spent most of today Christmas shopping downtown and after that experience I'm more in favour of removing buses from Dundas Street downtown. I don't mean to be judgemental but the people that just linger around the Dundas/Richmond area are really dragging it down. Some of the things I saw and heard today were disgusting and it seems like it's just getting worse. Maybe some of the offices like Ontario Works and the various other social services in that area need to move too.

I live downtown so I deal with it all the time but I'm just thinking that if a tourist from the nearby hotels walked along Dundas Street at any given time they wouldn't leave with the best impression just because of the people.

I feel the same way. And I agree, it has gotten worse in the past five years - although at least two people were murdered in that area in the 1990s.

London's high unemployment is very evident at that intersection.

[Highinthesky]

Things could be turning around for the Intersection. Farhi bought the building with the clock tower (old simpsons building) so a change in tenants could happen.

[Blitz]

I feel the same way. And I agree, it has gotten worse in the past five years - although at least two people were murdered in that area in the 1990s.

Yeah, I've never felt unsafe there (though I tend to avoid it at night) but the scuzziness level seems to be increasing. Also, the blaring of the classical music by the library and the McDonald's building doesn't seem to disperse them much and it just adds to the annoyance level of being in that area.

On the plus side, I did manage to get almost all my shopping done downtown. I know Citi Plaza gets razzed on here but it's pretty convenient for people who live in the area.

[MolsonExport]

^they do have a great dollar store.

[Blitz]

haha, well I didn't go there (although I've been there a few times in recent months). They just opened a Fairweather so hopefully that's a sign of more to come.

[Wharn]

Hey everyone, longtime reader but first-time poster. I thought I'd start out by posting a semi-relevant picture related to London's transit history; I believe this was one of the last streetcars to run in the city, shown here abandoned at Dundas and Eleanor after a November Blizzard wrecked the electrical lines. I believe the Kelvinator factory in the background is now an auto dealer. I kinda wish at least one streetcar line survived, perhaps the Adelaide one (since it seems to be the bus route with the fewest arbitrary and illogical route kinks, one would assume it would suit a linear streetcar line well). They clog up the streets somewhat, but perhaps that would have taught London that a city needs expressways to complement road and transit infrastructure.

On that note, does anyone know if the city has any official plans to build some new light rail lines, or is it just the typical London lipservice?



London Ontario streetcar, Eleanor and Dundas 1940 by rising_sun_19, on Flickr

[Snark]

Originally Posted by Wharn

I believe the Kelvinator factory in the background is now an auto dealer.

On that note, does anyone know if the city has any official plans to build some new light rail lines, or is it just the typical London lipservice?

My mother and a best friend's father worked at Kelvinator. That era represents, perhaps, North America at its industrial peak. A time in passing...Perhaps if MacArthur had got his way it might be different now, but there would be other dread consequences from such decisions...

Your LRT questions will be answered in good time.

[haljackey]

A couple more pics of rapid transit proposals for London:

[MolsonExport]

That first photo is what we need, and not more, for an LRT system. Who cares if the Westmount mall is left out in the cold? Principle axes should be Wellington/Richmond (North/South) and Oxfart/Dundass (East/West)

[MrSlippery519]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

That first photo is what we need, and not more, for an LRT system. Who cares if the Westmount mall is left out in the cold? Principle axes should be Wellington/Richmond (North/South) and Oxfart/Dundass (East/West)

Agreed that is exactly what we need, there is no reason for something like the second picture.

God I hope an LRT somehow get approved...not holding my breathe though.