News   May 02, 2024
Cranes Are… Dropping? UrbanToronto Reports the Crane Count for Q1 2024
 236     0 
News   May 02, 2024
Minto Communities Celebrates Top-off Milestone for The Saint
 154     0 
News   May 02, 2024
News Roundup for May 2, 2024
 187     0 

Do GO Fare Zones Really Exist?

Maybe it's time to scrap the whole zone system and just do it by pure distance?
 
And since they're in the same "fare zone", why does it cost $3.95 to go from Bloor GO Station or Exhibition GO Station to Union Station?

I suspect that GO Transit's idea of a fare zone is different than the rest of the world's.
 
Swamp Thing said:
And since they're in the same "fare zone", why does it cost $3.95 to go from Bloor GO Station or Exhibition GO Station to Union Station?
Click to expand...
$3.95 is the minimum cash fare for travel within the same zone. be it downtown Toronto, Stoney Creek, or Caledon. So travel within Caledon is also $3.95

Swamp Thing said:
I suspect that GO Transit's idea of a fare zone is different than the rest of the world's.
Click to expand...
How do you mean? Seems the same as I've seen elsewhere. Take TFL in London for example. The minimum cash fare for travel in the same zone is £3.20; (£4.00 if Zone 1). Makes GO look like a bargain!
 
Last edited:
The problem with the minimum cost for GO is that they have increasing fares at a flat rate for all trips regardless of the distance travelled. So people who travel the shortest distance see the highest fare increase in terms of percentage.
 
nfitz said:
$3.95 is the minimum cash fare for travel within the same zone. be it downtown Toronto, Stoney Creek, or Caledon. So travel within Caledon is also $3.95

How do you mean? Seems the same as I've seen elsewhere. Take TFL in London for example. The minimum cash fare for travel in the same zone is £3.20; (£4.00 if Zone 1). Makes GO look like a bargain!
Click to expand...

They intentionally make the cash prices high in order to get people to use Oyster smartcards... using Oyster the same zone price is £1.10 (all zones except zone 1) or £1.60 (zone 1)
 
doady said:
The problem with the minimum cost for GO is that they have increasing fares at a flat rate for all trips regardless of the distance travelled. So people who travel the shortest distance see the highest fare increase in terms of percentage.
Click to expand...
Agreed!

waterloowarrior said:
They intentionally make the cash prices high in order to get people to use Oyster smartcards... using Oyster the same zone price is £1.10 (all zones except zone 1) or £1.60 (zone 1)
Click to expand...
True, there's quite an incentive to use Oyster ... (compared to the single-zone Presto fare of $3.65) ... but I wonder how much longer that will continue. But check out the single-zone monthly passes, they are £63.80 outside of Zone 1, and £99.10 inside zone 1; compare that to GO's monthly single-zone pass of $132 - quite similiar. It's the single-ride Oyster fares that are extremely low.
 
Something I've always found interesting with GO's monthlies - is that it only takes ~15 work days for it to be more advantageous than single ride tickets. That's fairly low - especially compared to the TTC Metropass. I wonder if it's a good thing...
 
nfitz said:
How do you mean? Seems the same as I've seen elsewhere. Take TFL in London for example. The minimum cash fare for travel in the same zone is £3.20; (£4.00 if Zone 1). Makes GO look like a bargain!
Click to expand...

I guess I've just been spoiled by Calgary's C-Train, where travel within the central fare zone (basically on 7th Ave.) is free of charge.

Hong Kong Light Rail (MTR) used to charge only for crossing from one zone to another (but with the current Oyster Card, passengers are charged by station). Google reveals similar fare structures in Seattle, Portland (OR), Pittsburgh, Salt Lake City, Allegheny County and Perth (AUS).

But I take your point that these examples are likely the minority, as much as I'd wish otherwise.
 
torontobatman said:
Something I've always found interesting with GO's monthlies - is that it only takes ~15 work days for it to be more advantageous than single ride tickets. That's fairly low - especially compared to the TTC Metropass. I wonder if it's a good thing...
Click to expand...

I think the presumption on GO is that all your pass is good/used for is one return trip per day.....TTC, however, offers you the chance to whip around town at your whim and pleasure many times a day...
 
TOareaFan said:
I think the presumption on GO is that all your pass is good/used for is one return trip per day.....TTC, however, offers you the chance to whip around town at your whim and pleasure many times a day...
Click to expand...
I'd say that as a regional network, GO simply doesn't offer the "whip around town" opportunities" that TTC does, and so there is little point in actively pricing to encourage that sort of behaviour.

Their pass pricing is likely intended to encourage monthly usage due its lower operating costs (fewer lineups in stations, no need for bus drivers to stamp each time).

This may change as (a) GO service increases over time (e.g. half-hourly all day service on all train lines) and (b) GO pricing structure changes with the advent of Presto.
 
DavidH said:
This may change as (a) GO service increases over time (e.g. half-hourly all day service on all train lines) and (b) GO pricing structure changes with the advent of Presto.
Click to expand...

What changes due to Presto are you anticipating? Will "fare zones" go away to be replaced by per-station pricing?

(Apologies if there is a Presto thread I should be reading.)
 
You must log in or register to post here.

Back
Top