nfitz
Superstar
The reverse direction would be simply bus-bus, and many lines have this. But none appears to be coming soon between Guelph and Kitchener.
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- Thread starter dunkalunk
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Electrify
Senior Member
Another one I thought of: Could Fairview Mall become a GO bus terminal? It is right at the 401/404/DVP interchange, and could provide transfers between GO buses along the 401 corridor and those along the 404/DVP (with the added benefit of their HOV lanes) to York Region and Toronto. Not to mention connections to the Sheppard subway to North York.
Komiksulo
Active Member
Looking at the Google Maps view, this seems quite possible. All they need to add is two short segments of road from the offramp-intersections to the onramps, one on either side of the 404. There could be a platform on each one, with a crosswalk to corresponding Viva-bus platforms.
Another good idea. This would take a little longer, because the GO buses would have to make a full exit to go to the bus terminal under Fairview Mall... if they'd only built it 500 metres further east!
This seems to be fairly common across the GTA: projects aren't planned in connection.
I've posted before about how I thought that there should be a GO station at the Humber Loop, for example to connect with the Western Beaches, the Condo Strip, the shopping plaza, the streetcars, and more bus routes than either the existing Mimico station or the proposed one at Park Lawn.
And Oriole GO station needs to be shifted northwards to be next to the Leslie subway station. Similarly, the under-construction Downsview Park subway and GO station could be made more convenient for bus travelers if the GO platforms extended northward from the subway pavilions across the Sheppard Ave overpass, so that people could also get buses on Sheppard Ave. Unless they're planning a bus loop there?
smallspy
Senior Member
Ahh, okay. My contact had been told "late January" but hadn't recalled receiving any official memos with a date as yet.
Dan
Toronto, Ont.
royalrivers
Active Member
Greyhound owns the run
The reason why you do not see any GO buses direct between Kitchener and Guelph and Guelph to Hamilton is because those runs are OWNED by Greyhound and Abouttown respectfully. There are rules in place that limit the length of journey GO buses can take. The most direct and at the maximum allowed is the GO Express bus between Toronto and Hamilton. That is why you see "transfers" at some locations like Mississauga, Brampton etc. for many trips so that they stay within the set rules by the Ont. Gov't. It is a bit frustrating. We know Kitchener to Guelph GO buses would be great, heck they already go to Aberfoyle but there is no easy connection from Downtown Guelph in place yet, but they are not allowed to use the run now because Greyhound has it.
The reason why you do not see any GO buses direct between Kitchener and Guelph and Guelph to Hamilton is because those runs are OWNED by Greyhound and Abouttown respectfully. There are rules in place that limit the length of journey GO buses can take. The most direct and at the maximum allowed is the GO Express bus between Toronto and Hamilton. That is why you see "transfers" at some locations like Mississauga, Brampton etc. for many trips so that they stay within the set rules by the Ont. Gov't. It is a bit frustrating. We know Kitchener to Guelph GO buses would be great, heck they already go to Aberfoyle but there is no easy connection from Downtown Guelph in place yet, but they are not allowed to use the run now because Greyhound has it.
mpd618
Active Member
I was under the impression that GO Transit is exempt from those rules. Can anyone point me to the legal basis for the intercity bus monopoly system?
dunkalunk
Senior Member
Abouttown (although I think it may have actualy been canada coach) has ceased running service between Guelph and Hamilton. If GO ran even a vestigal service between the two locales connecting at Aldershot, they would be able to preserve that corridor for future transit use.
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nfitz
Superstar
And yet isn't some Kitchener to Georgetown via Guelph Train-bus service scheduled to being in January?
TFC
Active Member
I was unaware that bus routes were actually monopolized. I find this ridiculous. Is it legislated somewhere?
ShonTron
Moderator
In the link I posted above (it works now) Coach Canada used to operate 5 weekday round trips between Hamilton and Guelph via McMaster, Waterdown, Freelton and U of G.
It appears that Aboutown (started off as a taxi in London; now operates airbuses to Pearson and Detroit-Wayne and shuttles) has assumed the Hamilton-Guelph service after it was abandoned by Coach Canada with two daily trips. Not as good as what CC used to offer, but it's something.
It also appears that Aboutown offers a whole network of services, some abandoned by Greyhound, such as the Owen Sound-Toronto via Brampton and via Guelph, as well as Port Stanley-London, and around midwest Ontario, serving places like Goderich, Kincardine and Southampton, most of them 2-4 days a week, not daily.
http://www.aboutown.ca/northlink.php
http://www.aboutown.ca/northlink/Route8Schedule.php
It appears that Aboutown (started off as a taxi in London; now operates airbuses to Pearson and Detroit-Wayne and shuttles) has assumed the Hamilton-Guelph service after it was abandoned by Coach Canada with two daily trips. Not as good as what CC used to offer, but it's something.
It also appears that Aboutown offers a whole network of services, some abandoned by Greyhound, such as the Owen Sound-Toronto via Brampton and via Guelph, as well as Port Stanley-London, and around midwest Ontario, serving places like Goderich, Kincardine and Southampton, most of them 2-4 days a week, not daily.
http://www.aboutown.ca/northlink.php
http://www.aboutown.ca/northlink/Route8Schedule.php
nfitz
Superstar
The January 3rd schedules are now out (well, December 31st, but as that is a Saturday, with the next regular weekday GO is operating is Tuesday January 3rd).
http://www.gotransit.com/publicroot/en/schedules/lstser.aspx?new=Y
They seem to be adding direct Kitchener-Bramalea buses and Guelph-Acton-Bramalea buses. New routes 30 and 39 running from the KW and Guelph Train stations (but not the Kitchener bus station or King Street!?). Only 1 inbound to meet the 9:35 AM Train out of Bramalea; but 3 outbound.
It's 2 separate routes though, so anyone hoping to commute between Kitchener and Guelph is out of luck. Unfortunate there isn't any that are running to arrive Kitchener in the morning ... there's a decent service from Square One, but it doesn't connect very well with services out of Union in the morning ... an express from Bramalea to Waterloo/Guelph in the morning would cut down the travel time on that run by 60 to 90 minutes compared to going through Square One.
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dunkalunk
Senior Member
There is no reason why any Train-Bus service in Kitchener should be serving the train station. The train station is poorly served by local transit, has very little parking and is not a destination unless you are taking the train somewhere. Besides, GO's parking lot is located at the corner of King and Victoria and would be much better utilized if buses made a stop there instead. In addition, there is no reason why this route should not be serving Charles Street Terminal either. I can understand them using the train station if they needed to park the bus somewhere, however, a more useful route 30 would look like this:
http://maps.google.ca/maps?saddr=We...gIdsQRA-yGUAjL8A-92DQ&vpsrc=0&mra=pd&t=h&z=10
Not serving Smart! centres is also a lost opportunity to connect to the iXpress/GO stop here in Cambridge.
http://maps.google.ca/maps?saddr=We...gIdsQRA-yGUAjL8A-92DQ&vpsrc=0&mra=pd&t=h&z=10
Not serving Smart! centres is also a lost opportunity to connect to the iXpress/GO stop here in Cambridge.
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andrewpmk
Senior Member
GO needs to adjust the timetables of route 25 Square One-Kitchener to better meet up with route 21 Union-Square One westbound in the mornings.
Also it should seriously either extend route 29 Cooksville-Guelph to Kitchener, or consider rerouting some route 25s to Guelph instead of Cambridge (this is considerably slower for Kitchener-Mississauga passengers than the more direct route, but gets rid of the ridiculous gap between Guelph and Kitchener.) There should be at a bare minimum hourly bus service between Kitchener and Guelph, and if budget is limited then rerouting go bus 25 will have to do.
andrewpmk
Senior Member
One other obvious missing link in the GO bus network: Inadequate bus service between Milton/Georgetown and Mississauga/Brampton. The Georgetown to Union via Brampton bus doesn't run very frequently in the off peak direction. Furthermore many of the GO buses to Milton do not stop at Square One at certain times of day. Large numbers of people do this commute by car.
The changes I would propose would be:
- Service increase on the Georgetown-Union bus to increase service frequency in both directions between Brampton and Georgetown to 30 minutes. It might make sense to split this route into two at Brampton, so that there is a Brampton-Shoppers World-Union service (should be increased to 30 minutes), a Brampton-Georgetown-Guelph-Kitchener service (should be hourly), and a Brampton-Georgetown short turn service (hourly, staggered to create a 30 minute service), plus a handful of Union-Georgetown express buses at peak times (EB in AM, WB in PM weekdays)
- Modify Milton GO buses as follows: Union-Cooksville-Square One (every 15 minutes), Square One-Meadowvale-Milton (every 30 minutes), Union-Meadowvale-Milton (every 30 minutes). During periods of low demand buses would run Union-Cooksville-Square One-Meadowvale-Milton. A separate GO bus service from Union to Dixie, Erindale, Streetsville and Lisgar would be provided during peak times and would be discontinued at other times (replaced by Mississauga Transit).
- New route Milton-Shoppers World-Brampton (30 minute frequency)
The changes I would propose would be:
- Service increase on the Georgetown-Union bus to increase service frequency in both directions between Brampton and Georgetown to 30 minutes. It might make sense to split this route into two at Brampton, so that there is a Brampton-Shoppers World-Union service (should be increased to 30 minutes), a Brampton-Georgetown-Guelph-Kitchener service (should be hourly), and a Brampton-Georgetown short turn service (hourly, staggered to create a 30 minute service), plus a handful of Union-Georgetown express buses at peak times (EB in AM, WB in PM weekdays)
- Modify Milton GO buses as follows: Union-Cooksville-Square One (every 15 minutes), Square One-Meadowvale-Milton (every 30 minutes), Union-Meadowvale-Milton (every 30 minutes). During periods of low demand buses would run Union-Cooksville-Square One-Meadowvale-Milton. A separate GO bus service from Union to Dixie, Erindale, Streetsville and Lisgar would be provided during peak times and would be discontinued at other times (replaced by Mississauga Transit).
- New route Milton-Shoppers World-Brampton (30 minute frequency)
Dan416
Senior Member
Discontinuing GO Bus service to Erindale? Are you crazy? Well I guess that would be the end of taking GO for me if that happened.