Considering the chilly air circulating through our lives right now,
it may seem a luxury to board a transit vehicle that is warm inside.
Yet I have heard from a few readers about the challenge posed by too
much heat on buses. I haven’t experienced such a situation this
winter, although immediately after receiving the first email on the
subject, I find myself first on a frigid subway train and then a
Flemingdon Park 100 bus that just stank of diesel fuel inside. In
both cases, I reported the problem to the driver -- and found that
passenger comfort issues are not easily resolved.
The same
applies to extreme temperatures on a TTC bus -- often there is
nothing the driver can do, except take the bus out of service. TTC
buses are heated by water, much like home radiators,
and thermostats
must account for the repeated opening and closing of doors.
According to engineering technologist Bob Fraser, TTC bus
temperatures are pre-set by mechanics to remain between 64 to 68
degrees Fahrenheit, or 18 to 20 degrees Celsius. Drivers do not have
control over the heating system, except to turn it on or off.
If enough
patrons comment on the temperature, a driver can arrange for the bus
to be inspected. Says Fraser, “We do bring the vehicles into the
garage and we take an interior temperature (reading). Then we take
them outside and run them -- then open and close the doors and see
how far down the temperature goes, and how fast (the thermostat)
reacts.” In the summer, TTC mechanics are expected to maintain the
air conditioning systems which are installed in 70 per cent of the
bus fleet.
Considering
that they are right next to the front doors, drivers have minimal
control of their own seating area. Eric Pilon, director of Oakville
Transit, say that since a bus is the driver’s workplace, provincial
law requires it be 20 degrees Celsius. I suspect that both operators
and passengers are fairly realistic -- in Canada one expects to be
cold occasionally during winter. A sweaty transit ride is another
issue -- it’s a bit tricky for riders to remove their coats in a
crowded bus.
I checked with
Paul McLaughlin, executive vice-president of the union that
represents most TTC workers, to see if drivers had issues with
heating. He said no, and reminded me that transit vehicles once had
very primitive climate control -- straw on the floor for your feet
and potbelly stoves. Often the biggest issue for operators is
keeping the windshield clear of moisture. More historical
perspective from McLaughlin: to keep the front windows on the TTC’s
former PCC streetcars clear of ice, he was often forced to use the
back of his comb.
GO Transit has
what is likely the most modern bus fleet in the region, and its bus
drivers have full control of the heat on all but 60 vehicles out of
288. Spokesperson Edmund Shea reports that the driver can “adjust
the temperature between 18 and 26 degrees Celsius, heat or
air-conditioning.” That’s not the case for GO’s passenger rail cars,
which “have an electronic temperature control system that monitors
the temperature outside as well as inside, in various parts of the
car.” The heating system is factory-set to maintain 22 degrees
Celsius in winter, and in summer the air conditioning will kick in
at 23 degrees Celsius.
Shea adds,
“Temperature adjusting is a fine art of compromise to suit most
passengers on board, since some like it hot and some like it cold --
you can't please everyone.” Except for extreme temperatures, I’d say
riders are pretty tolerant -- especially considering the conflicts
that can occur among people when setting temperatures in private
autos, or deciding what radio station to play at the office.
Send e-mail to
transit@eddrass.com.
Include address and phone number.