A Mississauga Transit Dwell Time Christmas Tale

[Dan416]

I know thats the posted time for the bus, thats thething that frustrated most. It was going slower then it should be on a day it could of been going way faster. I guess I could of just had a crappy driver but the moral of the story is even if he was 15 mins late(a common occurrence on the MT), it still should not take a freakin HOUR to get from Islington to South Common. I know this was an extreme case but the arguement is still pretty valid in saying that MT's dwell times are asinine. Have you ever actually rode this bus route?

I think he's ridden every single bus route in Mississauga multiple times.

That said, I agree with your point about some buses being extraordinarily slow and plodding, and to someone who drives, it's very frustrating because you know you could be driving very much faster (and not picking people up).

 

[Fresh Start]

I know that this incident occurred on Christmas Day (Sunday/holiday schedule), but under normal circumstances it is the traveller who should be at fault for not opting to take an express bus vs. the local regular route if going that far a distance. Having to repeatedly decelerate/accelerate the bus just eats up so much time. I would have taken the 201 to Erin Mills or the 101 to Erin Mills or UTM and then jog less than 10 minutes over to 'Sauga Rd/Dundas. I think these only stop at East Mall, Dixie, Cawthra, Hwy 10, Mavis, Wolfedale and Westdale en route so you could've gotten there in under a half-hour especially with the reduced traffic; had they been running. Just today a 1C bus showed up at UTM about 5 minutes ahead of the 101 and I refused to go on, knowing that the express bus would be passing it by Glengarry. And just as I predicted, we did.

Suburban transit operators (MT, BT, YRT) are notorious for ridiculously long layovers. One I particularly dislike is the 19S at Britannia/Hurontario where 8 out of 10 times, NO ONE gets on or off at that stop (so why are we even leaving the driving lane?) yet the bus sits idle there for like 3-4 minutes, meaning I always miss my connecting bus at SQ1, sometimes by just a few seconds. I mean the driver just sits there watching as the pedestrian crossing timer ticks down without a care in the world while customers are running late. And what's worse of all is when the bus behind the one you're on by-passes that bus in the queue without stopping.

But I digress, so sorry about your cellphone and your ruined plans.

 

[Fresh Start]

I think he's ridden every single bus route in Mississauga multiple times.

That said, I agree with your point about some buses being extraordinarily slow and plodding, and to someone who drives, it's very frustrating because you know you could be driving very much faster (and not picking people up).

I know, eh. Had he used the 427 and QEW he would've been at Mississauga Rd in no time (15 minutes) and gotten a scenic tour of the McMansions along the way up.

 

[doady]

I know thats the posted time for the bus, thats thething that frustrated most. It was going slower then it should be on a day it could of been going way faster. I guess I could of just had a crappy driver but the moral of the story is even if he was 15 mins late(a common occurrence on the MT), it still should not take a freakin HOUR to get from Islington to South Common. I know this was an extreme case but the arguement is still pretty valid in saying that MT's dwell times are asinine. Have you ever actually rode this bus route?

Bottom line is most of the layover time you experience was because the driver was not following the schedule. You were late because the driver was not following the schedule. If he (or she) had followed the schedule you would have arrived at your parents' house early. So why keep complaining about the schedule?

That 1C bus you rode was scheduled for 17km/h speed. That is typical for urban transit bus, especially on a busy route like Dundas. YRT 99 Yonge South is scheduled for 19km/h at the same time on the same day. Faster, but not exactly a world of difference.

Also, 15 minutes late is a "common occurrence" on MT as you say, doesn't that mean that the schedules should be even more conservative?

I go to UTM, so I have ridden 1C as well. Layover times are annoying, but never they are never 21 minutes long putting a bus 16 minutes behind schedule! That is crazy and it is entirely the driver's fault, and probably should consider complaining to MT customer service.