GO Transit: Service thread (including extensions)

[Allandale25]

 

[Bordercollie]

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I guess they didn't have an bus on standby for overflow purposes.

 

[Richard White]

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This further reinforces my belief that GO transit is stuck in the pandemic.

Their service levels, their mentality are all indicative of a belief that ridership hasn't returned. It's as though they still think Covid-19 is raging and everyone is still working and studying virtually.

Phil Verster needs a reality check. He needs to realise that ridership is increasing and that covid restrictions have gone to the wayside.

If Metrolinx cannot understand that the world is moving away from the pandemic then a change in leadership is needed.

Simply put Metrolinx has to get their head out of the sand and realise that we are not still stuck in a pandemic.

 

[Deadpool X]

By the way, the announcement was around meeting a milestone of 100k taps for contactless credit card payment on Presto. That definitely sounds like Associate Minister material.

Ontario Newsroom

news.ontario.ca

Next major announcement: Wheels on GO train #236 reached a milestone of rotating 100,000 times.

 

[smallspy]

This further reinforces my belief that GO transit is stuck in the pandemic.

Their service levels, their mentality are all indicative of a belief that ridership hasn't returned. It's as though they still think Covid-19 is raging and everyone is still working and studying virtually.

Phil Verster needs a reality check. He needs to realise that ridership is increasing and that covid restrictions have gone to the wayside.

If Metrolinx cannot understand that the world is moving away from the pandemic then a change in leadership is needed.

Simply put Metrolinx has to get their head out of the sand and realise that we are not still stuck in a pandemic.

You remember that whole thing about not having enough staff?

The bus side had been insulated from it somewhat prior to this by how they scheduled the crews, but now that they are back to running almost a full level of service that shortage is now affecting them as well.

It has nothing to do with whether they think that we are still in a full-blown pandemic - they don't - but much like on the rail side of the operations, trying to make do with what they have available.

Dan

 

[Bordercollie]

You remember that whole thing about not having enough staff?

The bus side had been insulated from it somewhat prior to this by how they scheduled the crews, but now that they are back to running almost a full level of service that shortage is now affecting them as well.

It has nothing to do with whether they think that we are still in a full-blown pandemic - they don't - but much like on the rail side of the operations, trying to make do with what they have available.

Dan

I guess hirring and training new drivers is hard when you are competing with the private sector which is having the same problem.

 

[felix123]

By the way, the announcement was around meeting a milestone of 100k taps for contactless credit card payment on Presto. That definitely sounds like Associate Minister material.

Ontario Newsroom

news.ontario.ca

This is even dumber than that Niagara GO announcement a couple months back. Knowing the PC's, their next press conference will be for a partnership between VIVA and Egg McMuffins.

 

[Northern Light]

This is even dumber than that Niagara GO announcement a couple months back. Knowing the PC's, their next press conference will be for a partnership between VIVA and Egg McMuffins.

I'm not particularly keen on the current government; but in a modicum of fairness, Steven Del Duca announced kiosks selling Timbits.................

 

[mdu]

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I was on an earlier 25C that day (around 4pm) and they let on like 4-5 standers and had to call another bus as well. It's been chronically overcrowded for the past semester, but I assume GO doesn't want to spare the operators unless they have to.

 

[felix123]

I'm not particularly keen on the current government; but in a modicum of fairness, Steven Del Duca announced kiosks selling Timbits.................

That he did, but that was also over 4 years ago. Replace Tim Horton's with McDonald's and you'll find we're right back where we started - plus ça change...

 

[allengeorge]

That he did, but that was also over 4 years ago. Replace Tim Horton's with McDonald's and you'll find we're right back where we started - plus ça change...

I come back to what I said before the election: the government has announced all it would for transit; the focus has shifted to highways.

I was incredibly worried about RER funding, and am glad that’s creeping forward. Won’t pop the champagne until we start seeing tangible construction of electrification equipment.

Separately, I think we’ll see an announcement of a Pearson extension towards the end of their term) but nothing else otherwise.

 

[felix123]

I come back to what I said before the election: the government has announced all it would for transit; the focus has shifted to highways.

I was incredibly worried about RER funding, and am glad that’s creeping forward. Won’t pop the champagne until we start seeing tangible construction of electrification equipment.

Separately, I think we’ll see an announcement of a Pearson extension towards the end of their term) but nothing else otherwise.

It feels a bit like the PC's are back in the first half of term 1, those slash and burn years when nothing much was being announced for GO (after they renamed the proposed works to GO Expansion).
At the time I remember almost missing Del Duca's PR because at least we were hearing more about GO then.
Like you I am still optimistic that we'll see RER move forward, despite the current snail's pace.

 

[ShonTron]

It feels a bit like the PC's are back in the first half of term 1, those slash and burn years when nothing much was being announced for GO (after they renamed the proposed works to GO Expansion).
At the time I remember almost missing Del Duca's PR because at least we were hearing more about GO then.
Like you I am still optimistic that we'll see RER move forward, despite the current snail's pace.

There’s a lot of work still going on: the Stouffville Line expansion is nearing completion, the latest phases of the inner and outer sections of the Kitchener Line (with the critical CN-controlled middle section still a few years off, though there’s more capacity there than what GO and CN are using), work on the Lakeshore East through East Toronto. (EDIT: and, of course, the Barrie Line expansion.)

Those are nothing to sneeze at, though they lack the sizzle of stand-alone new projects.

The malaise is on the operations side. Metrolinx can continue to blame staffing, but it’s up to them and Alstom to get those crews trained and retained. But there’s a classic YRT issue: so much money for infrastructure, followed by so little for operations. That’s on Queen’s Park, and on Metrolinx’s malaise.

 

[robmausser]

This further reinforces my belief that GO transit is stuck in the pandemic.

Their service levels, their mentality are all indicative of a belief that ridership hasn't returned. It's as though they still think Covid-19 is raging and everyone is still working and studying virtually.

Phil Verster needs a reality check. He needs to realise that ridership is increasing and that covid restrictions have gone to the wayside.

If Metrolinx cannot understand that the world is moving away from the pandemic then a change in leadership is needed.

Simply put Metrolinx has to get their head out of the sand and realise that we are not still stuck in a pandemic.

To add to this: ridership has also changed post pandemic. Its less of the 9-5 and more weekend/evening/reverse commute.

All the more reason to expand weekend service and off-peak/2 way operations.

 

[ShonTron]

To add to this: ridership has also changed post pandemic. Its less of the 9-5 and more weekend/evening/reverse commute.

All the more reason to expand weekend service and off-peak/2 way operations.

The big market that’s back too are the students at colleges and universities. Now that most courses are in-person again, that should be a top priority – of course, there are four big institutions in downtown Toronto that should help drive the traditional commuter pattern too.