Tag: ttc

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Mobile Syrup

Lack of TTC coverage agreement prompts Minister to issue second warning

Canada’s Innovation Minister says he will take action if telecom giants fail to agree on wireless coverage for TTC riders.

“If they don’t come to an arrangement together that would serve Canadians, that would increase the coverage, that would increase the 911 services in the subway system in Toronto, we’ll take action, and we’ll make sure that we do what’s right for Canadians,” François-Philippe Champagne said at a press conference Friday.

Rogers announced its plans to take over cellular coverage on the TTC from BAI in early April. At the time, the company said it was open to working with Bell and Telus to ensure all riders have coverage.

On April 19th, the Minister sent the CEOs of Bell, Rogers, Telus, and Québecor a letter asking the companies to work together to provide coverage.

Bell CEO Mirko Bibic responded soon after, calling the transaction “a closed door, backroom deal.” Bibic said the company put a second option on the TTC’s table that would see it buy the contract with Telus with a promise to provide an open network. The TTC rejected the offer soon after.

The constant back and forth, and apparent avoidance of some sort of network agreement, have led to more questions than answers.

Both Bell and Telus told The Canadian Press a “joint build approach” is the best way to go.

“It would result in access for all riders regardless of their cellphone provider, less congestion on the network, ability for the network to continue to operate in the event that one carrier suffers a network outage, and a better overall customer experience,” a Telus spokesperson said.

A Rogers spokesperson told the publication the company is still “committed to working with all carriers.”

Image credit: Shutterstock 

Via: The Canadian Press 

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Mobile Syrup

TTC rejects Bell, says it won’t ‘tear up the contract’ with BAI

The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) rejected Bell’s proposal for a joint, open-access model for wireless service on Toronto’s subways.

TTC spokesperson Stuart Green told The Canadian Press (via CP24) in an email that the agency wouldn’t “tear up the contract” it had with BAI to move ahead with a joint build as Bell wants:

“The ‘neutral host model,’ where one company builds the infrastructure and others join through an operating agreement, is common practice and works well in other jurisdictions. To suggest, as this letter does, we tear up the contract reached after an open and public bidding process and instead award our wireless services to another consortium without a public tender is a non-starter for the TTC.”

The response comes after Bell CEO Mirko Bibic replied to Industry Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne’s call on major telecoms to reach a deal on wireless access in the subway. Bibic claimed Bell spoke unsuccessfully with the TTC, BAI and City officials multiple times about a joint, open-access model.

As a quick refresher, BAI won the contract for wireless infrastructure in the TTC subway in 2012, but save for Freedom Mobile in 2017, Canada’s major telecom companies refused to sign on with BAI to provide wireless service. Rogers announced earlier this month that it would acquire BAI’s Canadian division and, in turn, gain the rights to build out the TTC’s wireless network.

Green went on to say that the TTC “stands by the public and transparent” open tender process that started in 2009 and culminated with BAI getting the $25 million contract to build and operate the TTC’s wireless network. “Bell willingly participated in that open tender process, ultimately being outbid by $20 million,” Green said.

Moreover, Green called the proposal between Rogers and BAI a “private business transaction/acquisition” and said Bell and other companies “could have entered into [one] at any time over the past 12 years.”

Bell spokesperson Jacqueline Michelis told The Canadian Press that while the 2009 bidding process was open, Rogers’ “acquisition of BAI with TTC approval was not subject to an open bid and other parties, including Bell, were not invited to participate.”

In response to Champagne’s call, Rogers CEO Tony Staffieri said that Rogers has “been working with the TTC and BAI for over a year to open up access to the transit system” and urged Champagne to “not get caught up in the rhetoric of our competitors.” Staffieri reiterated Rogers’ commitment to working with other service providers.

Header image credit: Shutterstock

Source: The Canadian Press via CP24

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Mobile Syrup

Bell offered to buy BAI contract with Telus, commit to joint TTC build: Bibic

When Rogers announced its deal to acquire BAI Canada, and thus its exclusive rights to provide wireless access to all TTC users, it came as a surprise to Bell.

Mirko Bibic, Bell’s president and CEO, said the company unsuccessfully spoke about building a joint, open-access model with BAI, TTC, and City officials multiple times over the past 10 years.

“This is why we were surprised to learn that the TTC has seemingly approved the transfer of BAI’s exclusive contract to Rogers in what appears to be a closed door, backroom deal,” Bibic wrote. “It is astounding that this important project would be awarded to one party without a transparent open-bid process designed to maximize the benefits for TTC riders.”

Bell also asked the TTC to add a condition of approval to the transfer that would see an open access, joint build model, similar to other local transit systems in Vancouver, Ottawa, and Montreal. The April 19th letter states the transit system was yet to offer a response.

The letter comes after a request from Innovation Minister François-Philippe Champagne for Bell, Telus, Québecor and Rogers to work together to offer all TTC riders access to wireless services.

Bell has put three options on the table. The first is that Rogers agrees to work with national providers on a joint build. The move involves the companies funding the build but Rogers not charging carriers to access the network.

The second option involves Bell and Telus being allowed to buy the contract through a partnership, committing to an open network. Bibic says the two companies made the offer to the TTC after Rogers announced the acquisition and included a $10 million bonus for the TTC to use on “discretionary projects.”

The third option sees ISED and the CRTC ordering Rogers to commit to an open access, joint build system.

Last week, Rogers CEO Tony Staffieri said the company was open to discussing connectivity with Bell and Telus. “There’s no intent to prevent any customer, regardless of what network they’re on, to have access within the TTC subway system.”

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Mobile Syrup

Rogers to acquire BAI, bring cell service to TTC subway users

Rogers will soon own BAI Communications’ Canadian faction, a telecom company with the rights to build the TTC’s wireless network.

The telecom giant says the move will allow it to gradually bring 5G services to subway riders, including access to 911 services. Rogers says the project will take two years to complete, citing “limited overnight construction windows.”

BAI has owned the infrastructure since 2012, according to Rogers, and has presented companies with the opportunity to sign on to provide full-service coverage to all TTC riders, including those using the subway. Freedom Mobile was the only company to complete the measure in 2017. Bell, Telus, and Rogers never signed on.

TTC riders have faced a rise in violence in the past months, and while the transit company has introduced some measures to attempt to address the issue, the lack of connectivity underground is a glaring problem.

While it’s clear the move will benefit Rogers’ customers, it’s unclear what it means for customers using other networks and if problems will continue to persist.

Image credit: Shutterstock 

Source: Rogers

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Mobile Syrup

Presto officially replaces TTC tokens as main fare system

Friday, March 24th is the last day TTC tokens will be available to purchase, with Metrolinx’s Presto card entirely taking over paying for the transit system’s fares.

The TTC hasn’t directly sold tokens since late 2019, but some third-party retailers continued to offer them. The TTC says that tokens and tickets will still be accepted.

Presto cards can be loaded with money or a monthly pass at Fare Vending Machines, Shoppers Drug Mart locations, through the Presto app and online at prestocard.ca. It’s worth noting that the Presto system also works with iPhone/Apple Watch Apple pay payments and Google Pay via a credit card.

According to the TTC, Presto cards now account for more than 90 percent of fares on Toronto’s transit system.

Source: TTC

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Mobile Syrup

TTC riders can text safety concerns, but what does it mean for subway riders?

The TTC is now letting users report safety concerns through text, but most Toronto residents likely won’t be able to use the feature.

The expansion is under SafeTTC, an app that allows users to report security concerns to TTC Transit Control discretely. While the text option allows more people to potentially access help since the app is not needed, the lack of service while using the subway is a big roadblock.

However, TTC stations are equipped to offer these services. BAI Communications has outfitted transit lines with the infrastructure to allow networks to work underground. But telecom providers, including Bell, Rogers, and Telus, have yet to sign on, blocking thousands of Toronto residents from accessing service.

Freedom Mobile is the only provider to sign onto BAI’s project.

While the expansion is helpful, it raises questions about how many residents it could possibly help.

Image credit: Shutterstock 

Source: TTC

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Mobile Syrup

Up to 25,000 TTC workers may have had info stolen in ransomware attack

Employees who work for the Toronto Transit Commission may have had their personal information stolen in a company-wide cyber attack.

The agency says that up to 25,000 employees might have had their names, addresses and SIN numbers compromised when the transit agency was hacked a few weeks ago. On top of that, the transit authority is also looking into whether any businesses and customers might have also been affected.

The only silver lining that the TTC has provided is that it is “very important to note that, at this time, there is no evidence that any of the personal information that was accessed has been misused.” Do with that what you will.

The TTC was attacked on October 29th, and the hackers began by messing with vehicle tracking systems, online booking portals, internal emails and more. The agency has been working to resolve the issues and has said that it’s been notifying affected individuals. It’s also providing credit monitoring and theft protection as it deems appropriate. This seems like a bit of a weak response from a company whose employees now have to worry about identity theft.

Source: TTC

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Mobile Syrup

TTC is updating its website to offer a ‘mobile-first, responsive design’

The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) has announced that its outdated website is scheduled for an upgrade this week.

The website, which currently resembles eBay’s early 2010 look, will offer “a seamless, responsive and much more accessible user experience” post-upgrade, allowing users to better navigate the site.

The current version of the website, which is not mobile-friendly, was promised to be updated back in 2018. However, the company in charge of creating the new website shut down, causing an almost three-year delay.

That said, the new website will go live this week with changes “based on feedback from users of the current website.”

According to TTC, the new website will include:

  • A mobile-first, responsive design
  • Simplified content and user experience
  • Status dashboards for subway lines, surface routes, elevators and escalators
  • Live service alerts widget

Additionally, the TTC intends to launch another new feature later this fall — bus time integration. “This will allow customers to see in real-time exactly where the buses are in relation to the stop,” reads TTC’s website.

Source: TTC

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Mobile Syrup

Changes to Metrolinx’s Presto Card will help identify adults using child cards

Metrolinx and Toronto’s Transit Commission (TTC) has announced several changes to its Ontario-based Presto Card system, with some already in effect.

According to a September 24th statement, the TTC has modified Presto card reader displays to be more informative and indicate how much you’ve paid if you’re transferring, how much balance is remaining on your card, and whether or not you’re paying with a monthly pass.

Further, the card reader displays will also show if your card has been declined, if you have no more rides remaining in your card, if it has expired, if you activated the Presto card online, if it has already been tapped, if it is a blocked card, and if you need to add more funds.

Adults riding for free with child cards have been recognized as a significant source of fare evasion, and the TTC is making it easier for authorities to detect if you’re using a child card. From now on, when a child’s card is swiped on the card reader, a three-toned chime and a flashing yellow light will automatically be activated.

Customers who use a Fair Pass Discount Program fare will only hear one beep from the scanner and fare gate when they tap their card, instead of two.

Source: TTC