[Adjei]

How about "why did they spend any money or time rebranding at all".

They are a government agency, a monopoly service provider that spends a lot of money with little/no transparency. Give me one example of why this was "necessary"?

Can you please explain how they are a "monopoly service provider"?

 

[Voltz]

Why would it mean that? ML has rebranded...but if you go to their web page and click on one of their operating divisions (GO) you will note there is still the familiar GO branding. Similarly, clicking on UP or Presto takes you to their familiar brands too.

I don't think they would, but the article does mention applying the new branding to vehicles.

 

[TOareaFan]

I don't think they would, but the article does mention applying the new branding to vehicles.

anywhere where there is a Metrolinx sticker it will be replaced by a new brand ML sticker presumably....but a complete new livery is not likely.

 

[TOareaFan]

Can you please explain how they are a "monopoly service provider"?

Can I buy my regional transportation needs from someone else?

 

[rbt]

Can I buy my regional transportation needs from someone else?

Well, yes. I recall a map of a half dozen bus operators being created and distributed on Urban Toronto not that long ago.

There's also taxi's/charter/limo/ride-share services; not to mention your own vehicle or even helicopter if you choose.

Monopoly isn't quite the right term for an organization with less than 15% of the trip share where they operate.

 

[TOareaFan]

Well, yes. I recall a map of a half dozen bus operators being created and distributed on Urban Toronto not that long ago.

Do those bus operators have much overlap with GO routes?

There's also taxi's/charter/limo/ride-share services; not to mention your own vehicle or even helicopter if you choose.

sure, but who else offers the sort of services GO/ML offer?

Monopoly isn't quite the right term for an organization with less than 15% of the trip share where they operate.

More an indictment of their delivery model than anything else.

But, sure, if people are (for some reason) offended by my use of the word monopoly, I will retract it....but they are the transportation agency for this region and they spend money with an incredible lack of transparency.

 

[rbt]

Do those bus operators have much overlap with GO routes?

3rd party operator + Taxi certainly do.

sure, but who else offers the sort of services GO/ML offer?

So.. Beanfield has a monopoly on internet service because they're the only company offering fibre to my unit? No other company offers that type of service to me (at a price I would pay; same as you could hire a charter bus as an alternative to a seat on a GO bus).

Either your monopoly is in a very specific category: seat-rental on train and bus transportation for cross-municipal boundary trips to GO stations only with average speed above 40km/h (average speed is needed or local transit agencies would qualify despite the GO station requirement); or it's not a monopoly.

It's rare for GO passengers to make a trip using GO services (and their feet) alone. Damn hard to classify it as a monopoly when 90% of the customers use an competitor in their trip.

 

[micheal_can]

I bet if you did a survey of all the adults within the GO catchment and asked what GO Transit was, I bet most would know.

What needs to be rebranded?

I think someone in the province is looking to give money to someone and this is the easy way to do it.

 

[LNahid2000]

Took the 10:11pm southbound train from Unionville GO Station today. Maybe 8 people got off the train at Union and I had an entire coach to myself. I wonder if people will ever take this thing.

 

[mdrejhon]

Took the 10:11pm southbound train from Unionville GO Station today. Maybe 8 people got off the train at Union and I had an entire coach to myself. I wonder if people will ever take this thing.

Metrolinx needs to work on certain routes, such as the West Harbour GO route which has lots of potential when utilized properly (Niagara...) -- there are still very few West Harbour GO station users owing to only 2 early trains and 2 evening trains, with a still-closed fully functioning underground parking garage. Even all while Aldershot GO often overflows.

More transit to the stations are going to be critical to making this train work. Even before the Crosstown LRT connection, the extra "SmartTrack" stations, and the disappearance of Scarborough RT. Oh, and FREQUENCY (consistently). It really needs to be predictable/consistent all-day 2-way rather than multi-hour gaps in timetables too.

But even before then, there is a lot of optimization work that Metrolinx needs to do to get riders on the train. Introducing hourly trains with large gaps in the schedule, is going to be a difficult start for any GO expansion, especially if people are reluctant to use transit to the stations, since they know that trains aren't exactly consistently hourly all day long -- and that's still .not even every 30 mins. Or the 15 mins, after electrification.

I'm looking forward to Crosstown LRT making a major transit contribution to GO RER routes, but there really needs to be a lot of GO optimizations too. There really should be >100 people disembarking at Union instead of 8, so need to ramp this up to 2021-2025.

 

[ian]

I bet if you did a survey of all the adults within the GO catchment and asked what GO Transit was, I bet most would know.

What needs to be rebranded?

They are not rebranding Go Transit, they are rebranding Metrolinx (which, besides Go Transit, includes UP Express, the PRESTO Card and joint procurement for municipalities). The fact that you have confused the two makes it clear why the rebranding is necessary. Most people I speak to on a regular basis (people who don't read UrbanToronto) do not know the difference either.

I personally do not think this re-branding is very effective in addressing the issue, and I even concede that there is an outside chance that some backroom dealing is possible here (as I know nothing about how the re-branding was accomplished). But I think it's hard to argue that Metrolinx does not need to raise public awareness of what it does.

 

[Leo_Chan]

They are not rebranding Go Transit, they are rebranding Metrolinx (which, besides Go Transit, includes UP Express, the PRESTO Card and joint procurement for municipalities). The fact that you have confused the two makes it clear why the rebranding is necessary. Most people I speak to on a regular basis (people who don't read UrbanToronto) do not know the difference either.

I personally do not think this re-branding is very effective in addressing the issue, and I even concede that there is an outside chance that some backroom dealing is possible here (as I know nothing about how the re-branding was accomplished). But I think it's hard to argue that Metrolinx does not need to raise public awareness of what it does.

Metrolinx might as well rebrand to GTHAT. But I do agree that raising public awareness on what Metrolinx does is quite unnecessary.

 

[steveintoronto]

a still-closed fully functioning underground parking garage. Even all while Aldershot GO often overflows.

Any more info on why this is the case?

 

[micheal_can]

They are not rebranding Go Transit, they are rebranding Metrolinx (which, besides Go Transit, includes UP Express, the PRESTO Card and joint procurement for municipalities). The fact that you have confused the two makes it clear why the rebranding is necessary. Most people I speak to on a regular basis (people who don't read UrbanToronto) do not know the difference either.

I personally do not think this re-branding is very effective in addressing the issue, and I even concede that there is an outside chance that some backroom dealing is possible here (as I know nothing about how the re-branding was accomplished). But I think it's hard to argue that Metrolinx does not need to raise public awareness of what it does.

I thought it was GO that was being rebranded.

I knew what Metrolinx is and does. I am just not sure why they need to.

 

[robmausser]

Took the 10:11pm southbound train from Unionville GO Station today. Maybe 8 people got off the train at Union and I had an entire coach to myself. I wonder if people will ever take this thing.

Metrolinx/GO does a horrible time of marketing these things.

They need to put pamphlets in peoples mailboxes in the area saying the new train schedules, advertise at the stations, maybe a day where the off-peak trains are free, ads that not just tell people the trains are there, but give them reason to do so "Leave the car at home and have a fun night in Toronto, drink responsibly, go to a Jays game, etc etc"

Nope, Del Duca spends all the marketing on having a podium and glamour shot.