TTC riders may pay for expanded alert system

The good news: come fall, TTC riders will be able to use their cellphones to find out when their next bus will arrive. The bad news: they might have to pay for it.

In a report to be presented to the Toronto Transit Commission Wednesday, staff recommends allowing two free alerts as part of the next vehicle arrival system (NVAS) and charging 15 cents each for any others sent that day.

“Our view is that we wanted to get [NVAS] out, we wanted it to be affordable for the commission, and we wanted to encourage our customers to use it,” TTC chair Karen Stintz told CityNews.ca.

“We will continue to look for ways to make the information more available, but we do have financial constraints.”

Already used for streetcars, the service allows riders to send a text message to the TTC with their stop number and get a reply telling them when the next vehicle should arrive.

In the first nine months, the TTC sent about 1.8 million text messages at a cost of $105,000. When buses are included this fall, the software will send anywhere from 12 to 24 million alerts a year, which could bring the overall total to as much as $1.3 million.

TTC spokesman Brad Ross says mobile applications like Rocket Radar are good options for the minority of users who get more than two alerts a day.

“We suggest that people who have smartphones look at applications that are developed by third parties,” Ross said. “We provide the data at no cost and the private sector … develops applications and sells them on iTunes, for example.”

Advertisements wouldn’t generate enough revenue, Ross added. But if the numbers change, the TTC seems open to revisiting that option.

“We’re not interested in collecting any money from people,” Stintz said.

“We would like to be able to have them get their information within the two texts. And if we can find a way to build in an advertising option, then we’ll do it.”

The fee, if approved, would start with expanded service this September.