Richard and Bradshaw

Richard uses the SkyTrain and bus system regularly with Bradshaw at his side. Watching these two get around is really quite something! For example, when Bradshaw comes to an edge on a SkyTrain platform, Bradshaw stops. If Richard wonders why Bradshaw has stopped, he can feel the tactile edging on the station platform with his feet, which tell him this is the edge and not to go past it. As a sighted person who takes transit almost everyday, I take it for granted getting from A to B. How does a person with a visual impairment know which bus they’re getting on? How do they find the stairs and elevators? To get a detailed idea of how someone like Richard gets around so well on transit, I took a trip with him and Bradshaw on the SkyTrain, bus and Canada Line from Metrotown to Waterfront Station and brought my recorder with me.

To listen to the podcast, press play on the player above, or download the mp3 here. You can also subscribe to our podcast via RSS where this audio file will download straight into iTunes or your RSS reader. You can get all the future Buzzer podcasts by refreshing your subscription.

If you have other ideas for future Buzzer podcasts, let me know!

The Buzzer blog podcast is back!

This time, I’ve got the story behind the SkyTrain chime for you to hear. Ian Graham, operations planner for SkyTrain, talks all about how the chime was recorded, why we ended up with that particular sound, and who in the world actually played the chime.

Ian Graham, operations planner for SkyTrain

To listen to the podcast, press play on the player above, or download the mp3 here. You can also subscribe to our podcast via RSS, so this audio file will download straight into iTunes or your RSS reader, and you’ll get all the future Buzzer podcasts by refreshing your subscription.

(And seriously, would you have guessed the SkyTrain chime was recorded at the same studio where Bryan Adams and AC/DC laid down albums?)

You can also listen to our previous podcasts:

• Podcast 3: An interview with John Abou-Samra, the bus driver with a trivia contest
• Podcast 2: An interview with the voice of the SkyTrain
• Podcast 1: An interview with the voice of the SeaBus

Keep watching the blog for more podcasts! And if you have suggestions for something you’d like to hear, please feel free to let me know!

Listen to the trivia contest that John Abou-Samra runs on his trolley bus, plus an interview with John, all in the third podcast from the Buzzer blog!

Who is John Abou-Samra? John is a trolley bus driver who holds a trivia contest on his bus during the morning and afternoon rush hours. He gives away chocolate bars to the lucky winners who correctly answer his challenging trivia questions, and for many riders, his contest has become a wonderful part of their daily routines.

He’s been featured in articles in the Province and the Sun, and CTV News did a story on him this past summer. In this podcast, you’ll hear John’s trivia contest, plus an interview about how he came to do the contest and more. (You can also check out the article on John in the Oct. 10 Buzzer for more!)

John Abou-Samra

To listen to the podcast, press play on the player above, or download the mp3 here. You can also subscribe to our podcast via RSS, so this audio file will download straight into iTunes or your RSS reader, and you’ll get all the future Buzzer podcasts by refreshing your subscription.

You can also listen to our previous podcasts:

• Podcast 2: An interview with the voice of the SkyTrain
• Podcast 1: An interview with the voice of the SeaBus

Keep watching the blog for more podcasts! And if you have suggestions for a podcast you’d like to hear, please feel free to let me know!

Hear the voice of the SkyTrain in our second Buzzer blog podcast!

So if you didn’t know, the voice announcing the stations on our SkyTrain comes from an actual person. That person is Laureen Regan, president of Regan Productions in Calgary, who recorded the announcements for the launch of the Millennium Line. In this interview, I ask Laureen to do a few of the station announcements, how she got into the job, and whether she’s the voice of any other train systems. (You can also check out the article on Laureen in the Oct. 10 Buzzer for more!)

Laureen Regan

To listen to the podcast, press play on the player above, or download the mp3 here. You can also subscribe to our podcast via RSS, so this audio file will download straight into iTunes or your RSS reader, and you’ll get all the future Buzzer podcasts by refreshing your subscription.

You can also listen to our first podcast, an interview with the voice of the SeaBus, Rik Kiviaho.

Keep watching the blog too – the remaining podcast on John Abou-Samra will be posted in the coming week!

(Some of you might be asking “What’s a podcast?” Well, a podcast is a lot like radio-on-demand. Podcasting Alley has a good definition of podcasting, and Wikipedia has info too. But for our purposes, it means the Buzzer can bring you radio-quality sound stories in files you can download — and this, believe it or not, is a really exciting thing.)

Rik Kiviaho, the voice behind the SeaBus safety announcement

Anyway, our very first podcast is devoted to the voice behind the SeaBus. You know the voice: it’s the one that gives the SeaBus safety announcement at every sailing. I talk to Rik Kiviaho, the mystery man behind the announcement, about how he got roped into the job, and much more. (You can also check out the article on Rik in the Oct. 10 Buzzer for more!)

To listen to the podcast, press play on the player above, or download the mp3 here. You can also subscribe to our podcast via RSS, so this audio file will download straight into iTunes or your RSS reader, and you’ll get all the future Buzzer podcasts by refreshing your subscription.

And keep watching the blog – the remaining podcasts on the voice of the SkyTrain and on John Abou-Samra will be posted in the coming weeks.