RedRocket191 said:
If the discussion goes beyond "one system, one fare" then the discussion is going in the wrong direction, in my opinion.
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Completely agree. We should be moving toward integrated fares, not away from them. The biggest advantage of a busway is that it can be integrated with surrounding bus routes.
 
Maybe I need to add another line or two to my busway song. Having the fares for the busway different than MT or even GO's wacky and non-integrated fares is beyond ridiculous. We need to move forward on a single, logical and fair fare scheme for the entire GTA (not necessarily a flat fare, of course), not add another layer to the mess we have now.
 
The BRT should just be a roadway for the buses, not a separate system in itself. MT BRT buses should charge the MT fares, and GO BRT buses should charge the overpriced GO fares.
 
I completely agree, urbanfan. People waiting on the busway should be able to board the next bus, regardless of whether it's GO, MT, or any other operator. You shouldn't have to pay a higher fare on the same route.
 
I don't think the plan was to have GO buses stop at every station. I think the plan was for GO to use it as a way of getting around the traffic on the 403... but I could be wrong.
 
unimaginative2 said:
I completely agree, urbanfan. People waiting on the busway should be able to board the next bus, regardless of whether it's GO, MT, or any other operator. You shouldn't have to pay a higher fare on the same route.
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They are not the same routes though. MT and GO buses do not service the same stops, and do not go to the same destinations. People using GO sohuld pay more because they are going much farther.
 
Doady,

If people are going farther on a GO bus route, sure they should be paying more. But GO's fare structure is so screwed up, especially on the bus routes, that there needs to be some sort of levelling of basic fares. Also, if your trip is from say MCC to YYZ, and both MT and GO can take you there by bus, there should be fare coordination.

I do not agree with, but can understand, a fare premium for GO trains, but we need to start having some logic and common sense in the fare structure.
 
How about one flat fare to travel for two hours between any two points, anywhere in the Metrolinx Service Area, both on local transit and regional transit?

If we can find the money to pay for such a setup, why not?
 
doady said:
They are not the same routes though. MT and GO buses do not service the same stops, and do not go to the same destinations. People using GO sohuld pay more because they are going much farther.
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Yeah, but they aren't necessary going farther. If somebody's going from Erindale to Cooksville, it shouldn't cost them any more to take the GO train rather than the MT bus.
 
RedRocket191 said:
How about one flat fare to travel for two hours between any two points, anywhere in the Metrolinx Service Area, both on local transit and regional transit?

If we can find the money to pay for such a setup, why not?
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we may need a whole daylong confab/transitcamp for this one...

it raises some subversive questions:
what kind of bus service costs more to provide -- a long, slow haul on crappy local transit or a quick ride on cushy GO seats?
-or in the case of TTC's premium express: same crappy seat, but the bus could be less crowded and goes directly downtown

just like Paris' old two-class metro trains (this is gone, right?) the main (only) difference is 1st class may be less crowded

if you were going MCC to YYZ and had a choice of local or GO at the same price, who's gonna ride local?
 
I was only being half serious.

It could be viable solution, but only in an environment were funding is guaranteed year after year.

As for the Mississauga busway, a solution could be match GO fare zones to municipal boundaries, much like they do in Durham on the Hwy 2 GO bus. Trips within Durham cost DRT fare, while trips that cross into Toronto require GO fare.
 
The Durham/GO fare agreement is messed up as well, though.

Technically, one DRT fare can get you from Pickering to Beaverton if you do it all by bus, yet Pickering Highway 2 across to connect to say the 85A at Port Union Road will cost you $3.90, plus TTC fare, plus DRT fare if transferring to get to Highway 2.

Durham could certainly use fare zones (say Ajax/Pickering, Whitby/Oshawa/Courtice/Brooklin, and Bowmanville, Uxbridge and north Durham zones with a progressive fare structure), and for the GO bus, it's a very steep penalty just for wanting to cross the equivalent of Steeles Avenue, and it's not walkable between Sheppard/Port Union/Highway 2 and the western most DRT/GO stop in Pickering.

The other really messed up situation is trying to get to Union Station from Brampton on a weekend. You have the choice of:
- an overcrowded GO bus every 3 hours
- GO buses via Queen Street every 30 minutes, but taking 65-80 minutes just to get to the TTC subway, then paying a TTC fare (plus possibly a BT fare).
- slogging it out via BT, MT to either Square One-Islington or Humber College-191-Kipling.
 
The BRT Project Office will be hosting a Staff Open House on March 20th in the Atrium at City Hall from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. This is a great opportunity for staff to drop-in and meet members of the BRT Project Office and review/comment on the current BRT Project designs.
 
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