Friday fun post: are you planning to go to a lot of Games events?

If you like, skip to the end of this post to take the poll about travelling during the Olympic period.

Last week: do you tend to help out new folks on transit?

Last week’s fun post asked if you usually helped out new people on transit.

Well, we had 110 votes in the poll, and 75.5% said they do try to help out new folks on transit. The remaining 24.5% said no, they don’t usually help out.

The comments showed a mix of experiences, as usual! It seems like most people are willing to help, but they don’t always get asked. Here’s Tsushima Masaki:

I don’t think I have an “ask me” face. I don’t really give off a friendly vibe so as a result of that I’ve had no one asking me for advice. I’m also somewhat reserved so I usually don’t make an effort to ask if someone needs help when they look lost. But then again I also haven’t really been around the busy transit hubs during peak times.

There was a time last year when, coming back from the ferry terminal on the 620, I helped a group of people who were unsure of how to get to Hastings Street. Then when when I was on the Bridgeport Station platform I guided a man to the bus bay he was looking for, and then when I was finally on the train I helped two other people find their way. That must’ve been a record for me!

On the flip side, Sally said she always gets asked for directions, and Nathan even had a good story about helping out someone (I hope this isn’t a spam comment, btw :):

I always try to help whenever a person is in need on transit. I’ve got a good story for you from recently..

I was taking the new airport sky train line to pick up a relative the other day. A man on the sky train was confused and asked me for directions.

He was actually trying to head downtown but was getting confused on directions and told me someone pointed to this direction so he went. :) I guess this is what being new to the city is like.

Anyway, we talked for abit and I ended up telling him where to go and lending him a spare map I had.

For thanks, he actually gave me a cool case for my iPhone! I wasn’t expecting anything but it turns out he ran https://www.coolcases.ca and to thank me for being friendly.

It pays to help out on transit!

As always, feel free to check out the original post to read everyone’s comments! (There was a bit of a discussion about washrooms in SkyTrains there — as far as I know, there’s no plans to put any in, but here’s a handy list of where to go while on transit.)

This week: are you planning to go to a lot of Games events?

Just wondering how many of you locals are planning to travel around a bunch during the Games period!

Friday fun post: are you helping out new folks on transit?

If you like, skip to the end of this post to take the poll about helping out new folks on transit.

Last week: are you noticing the Olympic crowds yet?

Last week’s fun post asked if you had noticed Olympic crowds on transit yet.

We had 165 votes in the poll, and 58.8% said a resounding “No!”. The remaining 41.2% said yes, they had noticed crowds.

So most people aren’t experiencing crowds, which I guess is good! Although this could be just a large number of votes from people in areas unaffected by the Olympics. And it’s not as though people aren’t noticing any Olympic differences lately. Henry said he hadn’t seen crowds, but he did notice tourists on transit.

Crowds? I wouldn’t say crowds in my case, but I have noticed more tourists recently. It looks like there are some out-of-towners with their respective nation’s Olympic gear on. That’s pretty neat to see. I guess some of them are here early to scope things out. At the same time, I guess there checking out transit too.

Really though, most of the comments came from the 41.2% who said they were seeing bigger crowds lately. Here’s Brandon, an operator from CMBC:

Being a bus driver, I have noticed more people then usual getting on the bus as well as heavier traffic in some areas due to the road closures. I have also had more people asking me how to get around in the last week or so, mostly people that would normally drive to/from work for now.

Jason V also said this:

I especially noticed bigger Olympic crowds at Waterfront Station today. I also saw the telltale signs of folks lingering on the train as it waits at the platform, disembarking at the last second (presumably because they’re not sure which station is their stop - I wish these people would ask for stop confirmation beforehand!) Oh well, so long as they’re not in a hurry, I wish them happy exploring!

By the way, I asked if Jason and everyone else were actually helping out tourists if they looked lost: the answer so far seems to be “Yes!”

As always, feel free to check out the original post to read everyone’s comments!

This week: are you helping out tourists on transit?

I asked this question in the comments of the last poll, so let’s give it its own poll! (It also follows quite nicely from the “Ask Me” post.)

Currently there are some newbies in town riding transit owing to the Games :) But do you find yourself helping these new folks out when you encounter them on transit?

Friday fun post: are you noticing the Olympic crowds on transit yet?

If you like, skip to the end of this post to take the poll about Olympic crowds on transit.

Last week: how do you feel about your car?

Last week’s fun post asked how you felt about your car.

Well, of the 185 who took the poll, it turns out most of you don’t have a car—53% to be precise. I guess I should have known, considering we talk about transit so much!

Of the remaining votes, 30% said it was just a way to get from A to B, 14% said it was a part of who they are, and 3% said it was an indispensable part of their job. So it seems that many car drivers in the poll are exactly hugging their car outside its basic functions, but there are some who certainly do find their car quite beloved and helpful.

A few comments showed that not only did some people not have cars, they didn’t even have drivers licenses. I grew up in Edmonton, so this revelation is pretty mindboggling to me! But it’s nice to know the transit system can support the decisions of some not to drive. Here’s Rvie

I never had a car in my entire life. I never wanted to get a driver’s license ever, even when I turned 16. Call me a coward but to me I felt that I’d just be risking my life (and the lives of other people) driving a car to school/work and back every day. That’s why I only take transit, and I love it. =)

But ;-) said that he couldn’t imagine giving up his car.

Anyways, I would like to do away with the expense of a car, but it’s just not practical….

-carrying a weeks groceries is challenging on transit

-too many retailers don’t welcome backpacks or large carrying bags into their stores

-there is no place to store valuables (laptops, electronics, cameras) when your destinations forbids their presence

-travelling short distances with large groups is not cost effective

-some buses won’t pick me up because they are too full when I want to use the service

-the Canada Line does not run frequently enough in the evening for me to make transit connections

-some bus stops and sidewalks to my destination are suicidal with all the bikes using sidewalks as their speedway

-90 minutes is not enough time for some trips
-paying a zone premium for short hop on the border is not fair, it’s cheaper for me to drive

And here’s our happy medium: Chris said he didn’t own a car, but did have access to one, and that’s worked well.

Who needs a car in Vancouver? When I moved to the city I became a member of the Co-operative Auto Network, and haven’t been happier - less stress and less costs.

As always, feel free to check out the original post to read everyone’s comments!

This week: are you noticing the Olympic crowds yet?

The Olympics folks are starting to arrive now, and we were just talking in the office about how some bus routes are already feeling busier. Are you noticing this too?

Anyway, we’ll be boosting service for the Games in February, so hopefully we’ll be able to handle all of it! And if you haven’t read it, here’s the overview article on how we have prepared for the Games.

This week: how do you feel about your car?

If you like, skip to the end of this post to take the poll about your car.

Last week: how long is your commute?

Last week’s fun post asked how long your commute was.

And the answers turned out to be rather close between all the choices! After 195 votes, here’s the result:

• 34% said “30 minutes to an hour”
• 33% said “an hour or more”
• 21% said “15-30 minutes”
• 12% said “Less than 15 minutes”

I guess this shows that most people on the blog must not live close to work, since over half are commuting over 30 minutes every day!

In the comments, we found that Stefan and Ric had the longest commutes — 2 hours each way or more (eep!).

And while Sungsu said his travel time was 0 minutes (you must work at home!), cycling kept Alexwarrior’s travel time down:

About 8-10 mins when I get to work by bike (almost every day except the few days a year it snows hard), about 20 mins when I take the bus if I factor in not checking the schedule before going out the door (the #25 is pretty frequent at peak times so I don’t usually check the schedule). On the one hand this is very convenient, on the other hand I don’t get nearly as much reading done as I could if I lived farther away and rode a bus for longer!

Amy also mentioned reading time on transit in her comment:

Depending on my transfers, about 40 minutes each way, door to door. I read or listen to podcasts, which makes it go faster. If only I didn’t have transfer, I’d get more reading done! The M-line makes it about 20 minutes faster than it used to be. Now if only the 135 were a B-line, then my occasional trips downtown after work would be faster (nudge, nudge. I’m going to keep mentioning that every chance I get until it happens ;-) )

Cliff mentioned carpooling could help save a little time (and much money).

Another interesting commute I did for a couple months while I was attending BCIT was a carpool. My friend, a construction worker at BC Place, drove over to my house and then we took my vehicle to Downtown, utilizing the HOV lanes on St John’s, Clarke, Barnet, Inlet, and Hastings.

The time savings on that one was actually a small loss, about 10 minutes, but my costs decreased significantly. To Carpool, I was given $30 a week.

And lucky Sally actually had her commute time drop recently.

Thanks to the Canada Line, my commute from South Surrey has been cut by 30 minutes each way. At the end of the day, I can now get from my desk to my kettle at home (tea is a priority in my house) in exactly one hour!

Feel free to check out the original post to read everyone’s comments!

This week: how do you feel about your car?

Hey, I haven’t asked any driving questions around here yet! So here we go — this poll is inspired by a question I saw at hunch.com, a customized recommendation site. I thought it was quite thought-provoking, so here you go!

Friday fun poll: how long is your commute?

If you like, skip to the end of this post to take the poll about how long your commute takes.

Last week: when did you start riding transit?

Last week’s fun post asked when you first started riding transit.

And it seems most of you (56%) started way back when you were kids! 21% started as teenagers, 18% said university or college, and just 5% said as an adult.

So many of you wrote about your experiences as a kid, and really, the comments were just lovely to read. There were so many fond reminiscences of taking transit with a parent or grandparent, or that first taste of freedom from using the system by yourself. Here’s Ella:

I’m sure I was riding transit much earlier, but the earliest I remember regularly riding the bus was to swimming lessons when I was 10. It was a huge deal because I was allowed to ride all by myself, and I had to transfer (very grown up things when you are a ten year old)!

JustMe had a story and a belated apology:

I remember my grandpa used to take me downtown to do errands on the Skytrain once a week. I also remember running up to the “drivers” seat while imitating the classic MKI sounds and doing all the announcements.. Come to think of it, it must have been pretty annoying, so I apologize if you’ve sat next to me back then. In my defence… It was awesome!

Plus Cow wrote in with a thoughtful note on how transit would have been great as a kid.

It would be interesting to see the correlation between whether people grew up in Vancouver or not along with the data. I started riding transit when I graduated high school and moved to A Real City; transit just didn’t exist in the middle of nowhere.
(I kind of envy kids who grow up in a city and can take transit to get around! Living where I did, you really had no independence at all until age 16 when you could get a driver licence and drive a car. Life with a transit pass is so, so much better. :D)

So really, check out the post to read everyone’s comments — they were truly a treat!

This week: how long is your commute?

I just remembered that I ran this poll for our BePartofthePlan consultation, but I never did it over here.

A few fun notes:

- My commute takes roughly 30-40 minutes, all on transit, and I really don’t mind it.

- In December 2008, Leslee Nicholson of Halifax won a Goodyear contest for having the longest commute in Canada — five hours of driving each way!

- Here is a really great article about commuting from the New Yorker in 2007. I thought this quote was pretty apt:

People like to compare commutes, to complain or boast about their own and, depending on whether their pride derives from misery or efficiency, to exaggerate the length or the brevity of their trip.

By the way, the longest American commute cited there was 7 hours a day — Leslee Nicholson would scoff at that, I think!

- And some follow-up questions: Do you like your commute or not? Or if you didn’t have to travel, what else do you think you might do with that extra time? (My answer: “Sleep in” :)

Friday fun post: when did you start riding transit?

If you like, skip to the end of this post to take the poll about when you started riding transit.

Last year (!): your top transit moments of the decade

The retired trolleys, who left us for sunnier pastures at the end of the last decade.

The last fun post of 2009 asked for your top 10 transit moments of the decade!

As always, you shared some great items, especially about our local system. We have had some huge changes in the past 10 years, and spotlights were on the new types of buses, the Millennium and Canada Lines, and more. FOr example

For the most part, people focused on the local system, which has been through some big changes in the past 10 years. For example, here’s Stefan’s top 10:

1. 98 B-Line, especially because of its technology (busway, signal preemption, stop annunciators–and eventual transition to all-door loading on the 98, 99, and 145).

2. Millennium Line (and we could say the concurrent introduction of the 97 B-Line).

3. NightBus (which started out as all night Friday and Saturday nights only on a few routes, and has morphed into an enhanced pre-2001 Owl network, but with improved coverage compared to the old system).

4. The new trolleybuses–in particular, the articulated trolleybuses (and with them, the completion of an all-accessible fleet)

5. Canada Line

6. New or improved crosstown urban and suburban routes (33, 43, 84, 130, 364, 388, 410, 595)

7. Community Shuttles (though their route numbering that bears no relation to the conventional buses bugs me)

8. The new Dunsmuir entrance at Granville Station (not in the same class as the above changes, but it made one of the busiest SkyTrain stations–and the only non-accessible one–accessible, and also gave it a proper entrance of its own for the first time).

9. The new trolleybus extension into Stanley Park (again, not earth-shattering, but it was 10 years in the making, and offset the disappearance of other trolleybus routes like the Hastings Express, Cambie, and Forty-First).

10. Other new equipment or amenities (though some of these may date back to the 90s):
* New SkyTrain rolling stock
* New SeaBus
* West Coast Express TrainBus
* Bike racks
* Orion highway coaches

Steven had some great items from other systems (plus a few mentions of ours :)

I would say my favourite transit moments have been:

i) Opening of St Pancras Station close to where we lived, an amazing meld of national and international train services along with some great restaurants such as french bakeries and the longest champagne bar in Europe. A concept other large train stations should follow, in my opinion.

ii) Seeing the christmas light show at New York’s Grand Central station, where people would be stopped in their tracks, if you pardon the pun, and actually start talking to each other.

iii) Seeing how the staff at Camden Town tube station reacted to a lady who had passed out on a platform, how quickly they reacted, and how much they took great care of her. You never know when something like this is going to happen to us and thankfully there are staff around to look after us.

iv) Seeing how incredibly kind Vancouver public transport staff are to members of the public who need that extra assistance getting onto and off the buses. Bus drivers here are actually so friendly this is certainly unique to me of all the cities I have lived in.

v) Travelling on the number 16 bus in Vancouver where driver John would run a trivia quiz and award chocolate to people who gave the right answer. He puts so many smiles on people’s faces.

And I must do a special mention of Cliff’s story here:

There was a story about how a bus driver was coming on shift one day at one of the stops downtown. He decided to play a joke on the passengers and put on a pair of black sunglasses and used a white cane as he got on the bus.

He asked the outgoing driver to make sure the wheels were pointed straight. I’m sure the passengers on that bus found it very humourous or very frightening.

Supposedly it’s a well known story around the Oakridge depot and was supposedly published in a book about transit. If I had been on that bus, I’m sure it would have ranked as one of my top 10 transit moments!

Again, do check out the past comments to read everyone’s lists! Henry and Eric even made posts at their own blogs on the topic, with some lovely photos!

This week: when did you start riding transit?

Since we just did a flashback to the launch of SkyTrain in 1986, I thought we might all look back to our own transit histories.

I have to say it’s always been due to school — I rode the bus in Edmonton to get to high school, and the U-Pass in Vancouver made me a devout rider here. What about you?

Friday fun post: share your top transit moments of the decade

If you like, skip to the end of this post to put in your top transit moments of the decade.

Last week: do you usually talk to your transit operator?

Last week’s fun post asked if you usually talked to your transit operator.

And after 114 votes, most people (71%) said they didn’t speak to the operator unless they were spoken to first. Just 29% said they did try to talk to the operator unprompted.

In the comments, many said their interactions with operators were quite limited: usually a “hello” when boarding and a “thank you” when departing. There was some concern that talking to drivers could distract them from driving. Here’s ;):

I love the opportunity to start conversations with strangers every chance I get. I find drivers to be generally friendly and it’s an opportunity for driver/passengers to share issues (traffic? why a bus was delayed?) in a healthy way.
However I always wonder when chatting with operators is it “appropriate” comparing to the cellphone driving controversy. Would my driver be distracted? Am I endangering others on the bus? I believe in Hong Kong, they have signs stating it’s illegal to hold conversations with drivers. I guess it’s far safer for me to hold my transit conversations here on this blog with my Blackberry.

But transit operator Brandon mentioned a way to mitigate that issue:

As a transit operator, I always enjoy talking to my passengers when the chance arises. Some like to talk about the service, some like to ask about the bus itself and some just like to tell a story. If I find that I am getting to distracted at a certain time, I will just nicely let the person know that I need to concentrate on the driving and they appreciate that. I also find it amazing how much the public know about the workings of transit.

Sean, however, had his own take on talking to operators.

I ride an average of 15 bus trips a week and my goal is to make at least one of them laugh at some point in my trip. Having said that I rarely strike up arbitrary conversation and seldom sit on the front half of the bus, which makes my task more difficult but usually can crack a smile with my one-liners.

And CJ highly recommended chatting with your driver:

And believe me. Its a good thing to talk to ur drivers. I remember when the comm shuttles first rolled out into White Rock. All the drivers were super friendly and nice to talk to. You get to know a lot from the drivers, and know a lot of the inner workings of translink.(Hence my knowledge of the system. Wouldn’t have known without those guys.). While most of the original 12 have gone on to other endevors (Head office, and conventional). Some remain on the comm shuttles like Sue and Dave. Their friendliness and attitude is what makes me like the system the most. There’s mike, who currently runs out of RMD doing conventional, that sometimes comes into my work when he has time. And there’s two other ladies that used to run out here, but their names escape me…so sorry ladies if u read this.

As always, check out the past comments to read everyone’s responses!

This week: what are your top transit moments of the decade?

As we come to the end of 2009, the media has been churning out a billion lists highlighting the top events/items/websites etc of the decade. So I thought we could do the same thing here, only with transit!

I’m going to start with my top five here, but feel free to name more or fewer moments if that’s what your heart desires. Any criteria will do, as well. (Also, if your comment has a link, the spam filter will hold your comment until I moderate it. So be creative with how you put your link in, since I’d rather your comment go up fast than wait for me!)

Jhen’s Five Most Memorable Transit Moments of the Decade

A Brussels train station.

5. Brussels 2008

Brussels has a nice little 70s-style LRT system, but this item is more about the stations than the trains. What’s memorable is that Brussels plays music in all the stations, but there doesn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason to the song choices. I remember getting on at one station playing “Conga” by Gloria Estefan, then exiting into another station playing epic classical music. Hilarious.

A new Edmonton LRT station.

4. Edmonton 2009
My hometown is just now expanding its LRT system, and while I’m no longer living there, it’s really nice to see the network take shape. For so long it only went to a quarter of the city – now it’s going to go everywhere! And I finally got a chance to ride the newest extension to the line in June this year.

3. Chicago 2009

Well, you know about this one: six hours, 10 trains, 11 trips on Chicago’s fabulously large train network.

The tube on July 8, 2005.

2. London, UK 2005

Perhaps an odd one to bring up, but it’s truly a transit moment I will never forget. I was an intern at the CBC in London, and happened to be on the system when the bombs went off on July 7 (nowhere near my stop, though). It was a sad, strange, and shocking moment to be present for. I took the train the next day still, though few passengers joined me.

1. Vancouver 2009

And last, I must say the Canada Line’s debut this year has been my favourite transit ride of the decade. The launch day of our region’s brand new transit line was filled with such enormous excitement and energy!

Friday fun post: do you usually talk to your transit operator?

If you like, skip to the end of this post to answer the chatting with your operator poll.

Last week: ever been the only one on a transit vehicle?

Last week’s fun post asked if you had ever been the only one on your transit vehicle, besides the operator.

We had 194 people weigh in, and the vast majority (91%) said they had been the only one on a transit vehicle before. Just 9% said it had never happened to them.

There were a great many comments on this one! Most seemed to show that you end up riding alone if you travelled very late or early, or to not-very-busy destinations, or on new routes that were building ridership. For example, here’s typoprone:

When I took summer school at UBC a couple of summers ago, I often rode an empty 480 to campus and pretended the bus was my limousine and the bus driver was my chauffeur. Ah, memories…

And Steven had a cautionary tale from outside our region:

In Budapest we got on a subway and we were all alone on it. The next thing we new it was going into the sidings - it was there for 10 minutes and thought we would be there overnight!! Luckily the train did go back the other way. Since then whenever I have been on my own on public transport I get the feeling I am going the wrong way!

Many people also mentioned the challenge of deciding whether to talk to the operator or not. Sally was in favour:

If that happens, I feel like I should move up to keep the operator company!

Last 351 was more torn:

Sometimes it’s a tough call whether to strike up a conversation or not. In those cases I figure it’s the driver’s choice to break the silence since they’re the one stuck there!

Dora had another view:

When I’m the only one on the bus I usually feel really awkward, and go sit in the back half of the bus and read my book rather than striking up a conversation with the driver… Sometimes when my stop is coming up I’ll walk up front and just let the driver know, instead of ringing the bell, though.

And Cliff had another take on the situation:

The most awkward thing about being the only one on the bus is letting the driver know when you want to get off.

If it’s after 9:30pm and I’m the only one on the bus, I’ll use that and ask the driver if he wouldn’t mind dropping me off somewhere specific (Request Stop). That opens up the conversation and there’s no awkwardness of stopping a conversation to say “That’s my stop, bye!”

It was a hard time choosing just a few quotes to spotlight — however, as always, you can check out the full list of comments to see what everyone said!

This week: do you usually talk to your transit operator?

Since the last poll involved so many comments about chatting with operators, I thought that would make a good poll for this week.

I have to say I don’t usually talk to the operator. But operators out there: want to tell us if you like it when passengers strike up a conversation? Are you more likely to stop for them if you see them running :) It would be nice to hear your side of the story!

Friday fun post: ever been the only one on a transit vehicle?

If you like, skip to the end of this post to answer the solo on transit poll.

Last week: are you the transit encyclopedia among your friends?

Last week’s fun post asked if you were the designated transit encyclopedia among your friends. (Thank you to Tsushima for suggesting the poll!)

And after 142 votes, it’s a landslide victory for the encyclopedias!

89 per cent (126 votes) said yes, they were the transit encyclopedia among their pals, while just 11 per cent (16 votes) said no. And yep, as Sungsu pointed out, obviously this is a bit skewed, considering you wouldn’t be at this blog unless you have some interest in transit :)

Anyway, you encyclopedias provided some good stories about the burden of having strong transit-fu. Here’s MaxNV:

For me it’s gotten to the point where my friends will actually print out the route suggested by the trip planner and ask me if this is indeed the best route.

And here’s Philippe G.:

It’s actually really bad…
I routinely get calls at 3:00am to help get my less than right-minded friends home from downtown.

Tsushima Masaki also had this to say:

It does get tiresome though sometimes, when I get an MSN message from a lazy friend asking me how to get from point A to point B when they could just use the Trip Planner or Google Transit.

So folks, remember not to abuse your transit enthusiast! But on the flip side, transit enthusiasts, please do be patient with all of us who don’t know everything about the system, as long as we’re polite :)

This week: have you ever been the only one on a transit vehicle?

A quick situational question this time around!

I can only ever remember this happening to me once, actually, and I take transit every day. How about you?

Friday fun post: are you the designated transit encyclopedia among your friends?

If you like, skip to the end of this post to answer the transit encyclopedia poll.

Last week: are you bothered by cell phones on transit?

Last week’s fun post asked if people talking on cell phones bothered you on transit.

Crazily enough, we had basically a 50-50 split, which has never happened in this history of these polls. “It bothers me” had a tiny one-vote advantage though — out of 177 total votes, 89 said cell phone chat bothered them, and 88 said they didn’t mind.

In the comments, it seemed you didn’t mind cell phone chatter as long as:

• it’s not too loud,
• it’s not frivolous, and
• you didn’t take too long.

And many like Scott, lala, Reva, and Ric emphasized that it’s unacceptable for transit staff to be using phones while they’re working, too.

Lots of people also mentioned that other things are just as bad or worse than cell phone use. Tessa had a thoughtful take:

What’s the difference between having a conversation on a cell phone and a conversation with another passenger on a bus? I would think a conversation with someone on the bus would be louder and more disruptive, because you can hear both sides. Personally, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with anybody having conversations - while transit is technically private it’s basically a public space - and most converations are very unobtrusive.

Of course, if someone is yelling/shouting, doing those kinds of things, then that’s a problem, regardless of whether they’re on a cell phone or not.

And here’s Kenny:

I bothers me more when people with earphones turn it up loud so that I can hear them…
1. - it ends up sounding to me like a repetitive endless pounding sound because I can’t actually hear the music…not good.
2. - I imagine how they’re ruining their hearing.

Henry also mentioned Japan’s etiquette laws around cell phone use too.

I was just in Japan and they have specific explicit ettiquette regarding cell phone use.

Near priority seats for the disabled and elderly, there are signs requesting that your phone be shut off in the priority seat area. In other areas, they kindly request you set the phone to silent and refrain from speaking on the phone.

When on the train in Japan, I rarely noticed people speaking on the phone. However, everyone is texting constantly around me. So it is definitely considered rude in Japan to be speaking on the phone when on the train. I even saw one gentleman receive a phone call and pardoned himself from the train in order to continue speaking on the phone.

In another case, I saw a man watching TV on his cell phone (Yes, some Japanese cell phones can get a TV air-signal!!). He was listening with the loudspeakers on and all the people around him were obviously unhappy with his behaviour.

This week: are you the designated transit encyclopedia among your friends?

This poll was suggested by Tsushima Masaki, who wrote in with the following:

Today I wondered if any of the other readers are heavily depended on by their circle of friends to provide them with transit information (best bus routes, transit news, or just how to get from point A to point B). I guess I would call myself the “designated transit guy” because all of my friends seem to call me when they need to get somewhere. If that’s workable as a quiz question that’d be great!

So, here we go!

Personally I would have to say yes, but I think that has a lot to do with my place of work :)

Friday fun post: does it bother you when people talk on cell phones on transit?

If you like, skip to the end of this post to answer the cell phone poll.

Two weeks ago: answers to the 1937 Buzzer trivia

Can you guess which Vancouver streets these picture puzzles are describing?

The fun post from two weeks ago asked you to solve the three 1937 Buzzer picture puzzles shown above. The solutions were all Vancouver street names, which all still exist!

And the winner of this round is….. Reva!

Which means the answers are: Templeton, Jackson, and Wallace. A “jack” does apparently mean a sailor, which was also confirmed by Dave 2 in the comments.

Well done to all of you who wrote in though — kudos for puzzling it out!

And Reva, I can mail out those buttons and the flashy pocket radio if you want to e-mail me your address.

This week: is it OK to talk on your cell phone on transit

Transit is a public space, so a single person’s cell phone conversation can affect quite a number of people at once. But do you tend not to care, or do you mind very much?

By the way, there aren’t any actual rules against cell phones on transit here — we don’t prohibit their use unless you’re really causing problems for fellow passengers.

And personally I lean towards “It bothers me,” since it just seems so intrusive to have a conversation in the middle of all these people!

Friday fun post: more 1937 trivia

If you like, skip to the end of this post to answer the second round of 1937 Buzzer trivia.

Last week’s post: ever forgotten to buy a FareCard at month’s end — then boarded transit without valid fare?

Last week’s fun post asked whether you had ever forgotten to buy your FareCard at the end of the month, then boarded transit without valid fare.

And with 146 votes counted, 53% said yes, they had forgotten to buy a FareCard and then boarded transit, and 47% said nope, they’d never done it.

Well done to the conscientious 47% who have never slipped up! Some of us have done it once and have never wanted to do it again—the comments were filled with these kinds of stories. Here’s Tsushima Masaki:

I usually avoid this by buying new FareCards on the 3rd week of every month. I have boarded transit without valid fare before, so now I keep my new FareCards in my wallet along with my current ones so I don’t forget it at home at the change of the month.

roundtop had a backup plan in mind:

I’ve forgotten it twice, the first time the driver was nice and recognised me. The second, well I learned me lesson, I keep a booklet of 10 faresavers in my bag, separate from my wallet. If I forget I just pull one out and use it until I get to a store. It also comes in handy if you are with friends and someone doesn’t have fare on them/a date.

And Mark said it was addfares that tripped him up.

The real problem I have with forgetting fares are addfares. I work mostly in Burnaby, so have a one zone pass to commute between home and work. However, I periodically go downtown with work, and usually just buy an addfare to bump it up to two zones as needed.

I say usually because my brain is often not working that early in the morning. So thinking “I have a pass, I can go on the train,” I hop right on at the station. Usually somwhere around Nanaimo, I will jolt up and realize I forgot to purchase the addfare.

The comes the decision, “Do I hop off and buy one, or hope I can make it downtown?” The answer usually depends on how early or late I am running. Luckily, I’ve never had my fare checked in those instances, but it still makes me feel like an idiot.

As always, check out all the stories and some really good advice in the previous fun post’s comments!

This week: more Buzzer trivia from 1937

A few weeks ago I challenged your trivia skills with 1937 Buzzer picture puzzles. Now, I’ve got a few more for you to solve!

Can you guess which Vancouver streets these picture puzzles are describing?

Again, the answers to all these puzzles are street names in Vancouver. I Googled them too, and they all still exist.

PLUS, this week, if you get it right, I’ll mail you a set of Buzzer buttons, plus a terrible pocket-sized TransLink radio! It’s an ancient piece of branded merchandise, and we found a couple of new ones while cleaning up. Have at it!

Friday fun post: ever forgotten to buy a FareCard at month’s end — then boarded transit without valid fare?

If you like, skip to the end of this post to answer the FareCard question.

Last week’s post: have you thought about your Olympic travel plans?

Last week’s fun post asked you about whether you were thinking about your Olympic travel plans already.

After a scant 97 votes, 41% said they had some rough plans in mind, 30% hadn’t thought about it, and 29% said their travel wasn’t affected by the Olympics.

Well, it’s good to see that many of you are thinking about it already, since things are going to busy come Olympics-time! A couple of different strategies were mentioned in the comments. For example, here’s Reva:

Well, as I live on the North Shore, and I won’t be attending any of the Olympic events, my plan is to stay on the North Shore and not venture into town for the entire month of February. If there is something urgent, I can travel to Vancouver by SeaBus. I don’t think I would want to rely on a bus to get me over either of the bridges, with the extraordinary amount of vehicle traffic they are predicting. Then I could SkyTrain it out of the downtown core and transfer to a bus further east to get wherever it is I need to go.

Steve’s concern was mainly for work:

I haven’t really read up on this yet, I am mainly concerned about getting to/from work. At least I have options, work remotely from home or if I really have to go in to the office just avoid downtown - luckily I have plenty of route choices despite them adding another 30-45 minutes to my journey. My office is usually flexible about these issues anyhow.

And Cliff said he’d try a different type of vehicle out:

I personally don’t think I’ll be too affected. I’m switching to a motorcycle for those two weeks. If you can’t find a parking spot with a motorcycle, may as well turn in your licence.

This week: ever forgotten to buy a FareCard at month’s end — then boarded transit without valid fare?

David2 suggested this poll, which seems apropos at the end of the month.

Let this be your reminder to buy your November FareCard today, so you’ll have a valid fare for Sunday :)

I guess the follow-up question would be: what happened next? Did you rush right out and get the FareCard immediately?

Friday fun post: have you thought about your Olympic travel plans?

If you like, skip to the end of this post to answer the Olympic travel question.

Last week’s post: 1937 Buzzer trivia

Click to see a larger version!

Last week’s fun post asked you to solve six picture puzzles from the Buzzer in 1937!

The answers were all Vancouver street names, and here they are:

1. Granville
2. Grandview
3. Pender
4. Sasamat
5. Hastings
6. Columbia

Number 2 and 3 seemed to give people the most trouble, especially since the guy is saying “Swell!” in number 2. (He means what a swell view, which equals Grandview. Hey, it was the 1930s.)

But congrats to CJ Stebbing and zack for getting the right answers anyway!

And CJ and zack, since you guys did so well, I can mail you a set of transit buttons as a prize if you like. Just e-mail me your address and I can send them out to you.

By the way, there are more of these puzzles in the 1937 Buzzers, so I’ll put a few more up in a later fun post!

This week: have you thought about your Olympic travel plans yet?

So, Phase 2 of the Olympic transportation plan was released last week, and in light of the extraordinary travel situation that we’re going to be in, has anyone started thinking about how you’ll get around the region during the Olympics?

Feel free to use the comments if you have strategies or any other insight to share!

Friday fun post: 1937 Buzzer trivia

If you like, skip to the end of this post to try the 1937 Buzzer trivia.

Last week’s post: ever used the Sunday/Holiday group ride offer?

Last week’s fun post asked if you had ever used our Sunday/Holiday group ride offer.

(The offer: if you have an adult FareCard, West Coast Express 28-Day Pass, or Annual Employer Transit Pass, you can take five children, or one adult and four children on transit with you for free.)

And after 137 votes, 55% said they had used the offer, while 45% said they hadn’t. (So maybe you can try it out one of these days, 45%-ers!)

As usual, the comments were full of insight. Some said they had no trouble using the offer and quite enjoyed it. For example, here’s Steven.

I have a monthly pass and my partner travels free on a Sunday and holiday. It would be great if other cities would do this to encourage more public transport usage.

We’ve never had any problems using it as a same sex married couple of different ethnic backgrounds which says a lot about the city we live in.

And here’s zack, who found out about the offer while on the system.

A couple of months ago I was traveling with my parents on a Sunday, and we were just boarding the bus when suddenly the bus driver asked if “we were a family of three?” and we said “yes”. My Dad had a three-zone pass, I had a concession pass, and my mom was paying the regular fare. So the bus driver told us about the family pass program and said that mom can ride for free. We were shocked! To make sure, we called TransLink’s customer service for info and if such a program exists. And they said “Yes!”.

However, others said that they encountered issues when trying to use the group ride offer. Mike M’s comment sums it up well:

I first read the monthly pass group ride policy in the Buzzer and have used it a dozen times or so in the last year, always for me and a friend. PLEASE Coast Mountain Bus Company..be sure ALL your drivers are aware of the policy. Twice I was told it was for families only and 2 adult men couldn’t use one together. Made me feel a bit like a fare-evader, even though I wasn’t doing anything wrong.

Yikes — sorry Mike. Well, to be clear on this, the policy is NOT just for families: friends can be taken on board as part of the offer. I’ve passed this thread on over to CMBC so they can help clarify the policy for operators who might not know.

And to follow up on a few questions raised in the comments: yes, you can use this group ride offer on WCE if you have your 28-Day WCE pass. Also, you can’t take five adults with you as part of this offer — you can only take one adult plus four children, or five children. Adults can’t be substituted for kids in this offer.

This week: 1937 Buzzer trivia

Last year I ran this trivia item in one of the print Buzzers. Hopefully not too many of you have solved it before!

Click to see a larger version!

I’m sure you guys will figure this out in a flash, anyway. Answers next week!