OC Transpo introduces major route changes on Sept 4th. These little hang tags on bus stop signs remind users that this route will be changing. This is certainly a proactive reach-out, taking the message directly to the affected riders. The hang tags are suspended on plastic hangers, which, coupled with the low height of bus stop signs, makes them easy for vandals to swat off the sign. I have noticed a number of signs have only the little plastic loops on them; the advisory itself is gone.
On routes that don’t change, there is a little sticker on the post that affirms or reassures riders that their route is still here:
Despite this advertising, don’t we just know that the main stream media will be featuring sob stories of patrons who will claim to not know there were changes. The rush will be on to find the most sympathetic “victim” of the route reconfiguration. Will they be in a wheelchair? An immigrant? Elderly? Heading off to hospital (oops, Citizen already did that one). Personally, I’d love the for the interviewer or reporter to question that person closely as to how they manage to not know what is going on and still remain sympathetic: “Oh, I was living at my second home out by the lakeshore/was cruising the Mediterranean/taking the grand tour of Europe, and didn’t get the paper/listen to the radio/have internet/talk to anyone for six months…”.
I haven’t seen a single one of those dangly thingies in my neighbourhood.
As part of these bus stop updates, they also updated the bus schedules to the new September 2011 schedules. That’s not very helpful when you’re waiting for a bus in late July or August!
At least at the stops I take most often, they post the new schedules 4-6 weeks ahead of every change all the time, making the paper schedules useless for 1/3 or more of the year.
Why is this suddenly a BIg Thing this year (when it should have been all along)?