OV9292 Public Transportation Apps

The TTC threw open the doors at its main training facilities today to provide a first-hand look at procedures and the methods employed to get some 14,000 streetcar, bus and subway operators and other personnel ready for the route every year.

"This is the very first time we have opened our doors and we thought it significant following up on the heels of our new 1-2-level action plan to provide the people a feeling of what's concerned in instruction and recertifying automobile operators," stated Brad Ross, the TTC's head of communications on Wednesday, March 4.

The plan, that has been introduced to the TTC's board of commissioners in January, is partly in place but will take more money and more time to completely implement. It had been launched in response to many high profile fatal collisions between patrons and TTC buses last year.

Some elements of the program, like instituting arbitrary speed checks are in place, together with a pilot program removing operators' skill to be aware of when they are late on their schedules.

As an alternative to penalize drivers, the practices are used as a teaching tool for practices that were safe, mentioned Ross.

"It is about making sure operators understand keeping schedules should never trump safety," he said.

A part of the tour included an inspection of the TTC monitor amount security room, which was made following the passing of a TTC course manager during a freak injury near Yorkdale station in 2013.

"This room lets subway trainees to understand exactly what processes to follow when employees are at track level," mentioned TTC instructor Karim Rajan.

Among the more recent safety features presented by Rajan and TTC Metro Enhancements manager John Chamberlain is a specific identity "tag" located on the undercarriage of each and every subway train which is found as it passes through a stretch of monitor and mechanically triggers a warning message to the operator to slow down if employees come in the neighborhood.

Another security feature enables electricity to cut to the tracks by hand in the case of an emergency by pressing an emergency button located at the conclusion of the metro stage. Additionally, there are portable train "stops" which cuts power to the encompassing tracks to shield any work happening at monitor level.

For functioning of the brand new streetcars, a special simulator allows the trainees on their very first day to pilot a digital form of deal and the automobile with visitors patterns changing climate and distractions, all of it controlled by instructors.

Participating the operator gets into an exact replica of the cabin that is found on each of the new Bombardier-manufactured streetcars. Control of the car, unlike the fleet models, is done entirely by hand.

Trainees use the simulator for typically 10 minutes before they could operate the particular vehicles, which are located in the Roncesvalles Carhouse of the TTC. Educator Lionel Jordan stated that's more due than for another reason, although he anticipates time used on the simulator to grow the Leslie Barns facility opens.

"The commute would destroy trainees."

Throughout the simulator a crew of teachers can assume control of surrounding vehicles and pedestrians and aviator them to create distractions for the operator. That could mean a pedestrian pushing a stroller suddenly darting into traffic, or a pickup truck which halts at an intersection compelling the trailing streetcar to brake quickly or result in a collision, or a sudden snowfall obscuring vision.

Just like the streetcars, a simulation application for TTC buses permits trainees to "drive" the bus via a virtual class. Instructor Jack Martin said the plan is well worth its cost and a current addition to the ov9292 training program.