TTC customer service by email is broken.

An update on my earlier data request of the TTC: Still no reply from the TTC even after emailing the followup address.

Inspired by recent articles on the Toronto Ombudsman, I’m going to write a formal complaint and address it to Roman Muetz, the TTC’s Customer Information Director, if the Customer Service line can’t help me tomorrow. Alternatively, I’ll phone him at the number listed on the Ombudsman’s website and point him at my blog. If he can’t help encourage the TTC to release good, open datasets, or encourage community contributions like myttc.ca, then all I can think to do is mount a campaign for quality GTA data and support of us transit hackers, by harnessing both the 6,000 downloads of my TTC Mobile app (100/day) and anybody else I can snare though Facebook/Twitter/other app platforms.

It’s disgraceful that when a developer really wants to make a difference, for free, that there’s zero support from a public-supported entity. Do I need to request an RFP and $$$ from the TTC to build something for them? Really? And what’s with the zero-response customer service, where @bradTTC on Twitter tells me to phone, and phoning tells me to email, and email goes nowhere with not even an auto-reply? They make YRT look like a five-star hotel by comparison.