It's time to think
about travelling to Rochester again. When the privately-run ferry
service between Toronto and New York State went bankrupt last year,
the City of Rochester itself decided to take over the route. The
high-speed catamaran ferry is set to begin taking passengers on June
30.
One big question is
whether a traveler can get around Rochester without a car. I hear
there's a good bike path network, but many Torontonians may wish to
use transit at either end of the trip. The city is worth a visit for
the architecture and as a quick jaunt to a foreign country.
Greater Rochester
sprawls across a large area and transit service is spread thinly.
Getting around by bus requires some patience. To get to the ferry
terminal on the Toronto side, take the TTC's 172 Cherry Street bus
from Front and Bay Streets next to Union Station. When you disembark
from the ferry, take the #1 Lake Ave. bus to central Rochester -- a
30 to 40 minute trip. Cash fare is $1.25 U.S.
The Rochester
Transit Service (or RTS) is part of a larger transportation
authority called the RGRTA. For links to the ferry and transit web
sites, click on Columnists at www.metronews.ca.
Rochester's transit
has an ambitious plan to become "the number one customer-focused
public transportation system" in the U.S. If officials can
accomplish just a few of their goals over the next 18 months, that
would be remarkable. Read the following list, taken from
www.rgrta.org, and ask yourself if you'd like the TTC to adopt any
of these proposed measures:
"Customer
information displays on our busiest routes that will provide
real-time information on bus arrival times. A newly-designed Web
site that will allow customers to ... know the actual arrival time
of their buses. Bus passes may be purchased via our Web site and
mailed directly to customers."
"When planning a
trip, customers will be able to go to our Web site, or to kiosks we
are planning to install around town, for information on the best
route to their destinations."
The RGRTA is almost
ready to test a new internet "trip planner" that would allow riders
to input their origin and destination and receive detailed bus route
directions. Although these systems often suffer from computing
glitches early on, many transit authorities in the U.S. have had
them for years. In the GTA, only Mississauga Transit is apparently
close to offering an online trip planner. Read on for more great
ideas from Rochester:
"A customer loyalty
program that will reward our most frequent riders with free
transportation. Smaller, more fuel-efficient buses for those
less-traveled routes. Monthly town meetings with passengers to
elicit feedback on their satisfaction with our services.
"Formation of a
customer advisory group. Heated bus shelters. Test ride program
requiring employees to take the bus on a monthly basis and evaluate
service."
If you do decide to
head across the water, read past stories by searching under
"Rochester" at www.eddrass.com.