Go Transit

I’m sitting here at 12:05 am on Wednesday on the Via Train from Ottawa to Toronto. I’m trying to get back to my Girlfriend, my dog, my cat and my nice warm bed. Instead I’m writing my fellow Unilocalers from the scenic Scarborough GO station. I’ve been here for an hour as apparently a GO train has broken down in front of us. Please GO, tow your train!!! I just want to go home.

Discontinuing the GO app???
That’s going backwards, that was one of the things that worked fairly ok. Going through the website requires many clicks to get the info you need…

Tens of Thousands DEPEND on GO to go to work. I cannot believe the city would allow people spending $ 7-​$ 10 a trip to go to work everyday. PLUS the fare increases yearly. So by the time i retire it will be like $ 20 – 30 a trip and THATS a price guarantee.

Worst transit system. It almost a joke except I’m stuck on this train. 25 minutes and we’ve gone maybe 5 km. Signal issues. Every time I take this go train even though infrequently there are always issues. I feel for those who rely on this for anything other than leisure trips with lots of time to waste.

Go Transit gets you from A to B quickly and efficiently, but offers little for those obviously infirm or with some sort of physical challenge. On the extremely cold days many of the stops are serviced by escalators which are exposed to the elements which cause them to freeze. If you have arthritis like myself what other recourse do you have but to risk being pushed on the stairs by other hurried travelers hoping to not miss their train or worse yet to face not getting a seat should they manage to get on the train? People with disabilities which are not obvious to the naked eye are often not well balanced and fall over easily if pushed. Breaking a limb can be disastrous to an older person.
At Union Station I watched a poor young couple both pushing strollers trying to use the elevators to get to their train but they were out of order. Other travelers were not very helpful. It appears each elevator goes to its own platform which is directed to the train you need to access for your destination. Taking another elevator will not help you get to the train you need. I could be wrong but this is what I interpreted as their problem. They shared my view and seemed to be at a loss on how to access their platform.
Other than these complaints I find the service excellent. My two cents worth.

Cannot keep up with the city’s need! Never ending construction at union station, should have moved fast!
Still no line up signs on platforms, even Tim’s started doing it. Very disappointing service with the fee we are paying!

Recieved exceptional service again from go transit. When I asked the clerk if he knew when the bus would arrive?
«I don’t know, we are not an information center was his reply.»
Thanks again public transit, where would I be without you other than on time?

Using the GO Transit trains confirmed my suspicions that Canadians (in general) are some of the most considerate and politest people in the world. GO reminds me a lot of Metra in Chicago but there are some significant differences:
1. Before the train arrives, people line up (politely) to get on the train. There’s not a scrum of people pushing and shoving. I did not know this was possible.
2. The trains are clean. There isn’t puke, graffiti or garbage to be seen. Again, I did not know this was possible.
3. The announcements can actually be heard in the cars. In Chicago it sounds like «the next stop is fjfnalsdghhhh and due to construction the only car doors that will open are gblgghhhhh» which then causes a total stampede.
4. Passengers seem to be (in general) polite. No one was blasting music, panhandling or engaging in any other unsavory behavior.
For a mass transit train system, GO seems to be pretty good. The downsides are price (pretty expensive for a trip downtown but certainly less than a cab and less awful than driving) and that all trips terminate at the decidedly unlovely Union Station. I’m sure if I took GO everyday, I’d experience frustrations with the system but all I can say is… it’s a LOT better than Chicago!

Poor customer service. Uncomfortable seating. Expensive tickets. Not worth the money. Very little leg room. No personal space. If you miss the train by a second, tough luck you’ll have to wait for the next one. No Wifi.
If you forget to tap off, again tough luck you’ll have to pay the most expensive ticket. I don’t know why they haven’t set up a wireless barrier or something for that.
Oh and have fun during rush hour… worst time of your life.
If there was another transit system I would 200% choose that over GO transit. I wish I could give this negative stars

Always on time and usually quicker than driving to your destination yourself. I take Go Transit regularly between Toronto and Hamilton, and even though the Gardiner Expressway is under construction, the delays are never that bad. The drivers obviously know all the shortcuts.
Overall an efficient service that’s reasonably priced. It’s nice to kick back and do some work or listen to music instead of driving.

Go is good when it works for you but when it doesn’t it gets really ugly. Where do I start?!
Let’s first look at their stellar customer service. Every time I have called them up they claim their GPS is“accurate” so much so that it reports I tapped at a stop 20 kms from my actual location. The other time their bus left 2 mins early but their accurate GPS still shows they left exactly on time. Of course their are all those other times when they are delayed but most of it is the bad traffic in the GTA.
How much do they cost? Their fares are astronomically high. You are talking about paying around $ 200-​$ 250 a month!
The other issue is the bus drivers they have. Most of them can’t drive on the highways without tailgating. They often leave early so that they can get to their destination on time.
All I can say is get some road manners and if you really care about customer service listen to your customers instead of getting defensive about your GPS!

I’m bumping my star rating for Suburbia’s best friend!
I’m still a downtown dweller, but as we get older it seems more friends move out of the downtown core, and yesterday I dabbled in the Lakeshore West train to get to Port Credit for Canada Day fireworks. I actually took an Über there (a financial mistake that will haunt me until my next payday), but I braved the Go home, and I was pleasantly surprised. A smooth, quiet air conditioned ride with very comfortable seats!
So though I would never choo choo choose to live in the ‘burbs, I respect your daily commute, ‘Sauggers! With this service at your disposal, if you’re driving downtown on the daily you’re not only silly, but you’re seriously adding to our sad smog issue. Toronto isn’t a city for cars, and if you poll people who *actually* live downtown, we love our street cars and bike lanes, so please don’t complain about them… especially since the Go Transit system is this great, and shoots you right to the heart of the city!
OK, that last paragraph was a slight rant. Sorry #notsorry.

The fact that its way over priced and that its just another giant tax dollar sucking entity aside I have to say that I was recently blown away by some excellent GO customer service.
I was lined up for a 9pm express bus from Union to Hamilton and the bus was full before myself and about 7 other people could get on. Instead of making us wait another 30 minutes for the next bus GO had another bus immediately pull up and put just the 8 of us on and off we were to Hamilton only 5 minutes behind.
Now that my friends is incredible service worthy of praise.

I don’t use Go Transit that often, might be once a month but I always has a good experience.
My bus always been on time! Seriously on time!
The bus spacious and clean.
I also been taking the Express bus from Richmond Hill to Toronto Pearson and back.
A little pricier than other transportation options but well worth the price!

If U R looking for a mode of transportation that runs the cold air in the middle of a snow storm then GO Transit is the mode of transport for U.
In order to save $$ for their executives they freeze their patrons. Yet another government owed service that puts customers dead last.
If it were cheaper to drive in and park I’d do it every day… can’t stand this mode of public transit. Unfortunately it would cost to much in gas and parking. Price keeps going up and service goes down or is non-​existent.

So I figure for my 400^th review (finally — I think I’ve exhausted all places that I’ve been)…drum roll please…(silence)…crap…no drum roll… anywho, I’d review the system I use everyday.
Ahh…GO, would I ever GO downtown without you? Heck no!
I take the GO almost everyday from Mississauga and appreciate the fact that they are mostly on time and the commute is very painless. I used to take the GO from Oakville and it was just as good.
Pros:
–Mostly on time
–The GO app for Android and iPhone is very helpful
–Seats are very comfy
–3^rd floor quiet zone during rush hour is a great de-​stresser after work.
–Some stations have Wi-​Fi now.
–About the same price as parking/​gas combined if you live anywhere more than 30 km away from downtown.
–If trains/​buses are late by more than 15 minutes and it’s their fault, they usually give you that trip for free.
–Presto pass has become very handy (though their service line sucks)
Cons:
–Expensive compared to TTC — can cost up to $ 12 per day
–Wi-​Fi doesn’t always work in the stations that have Wi-​fi
–The convenience stores in the GO stations (excluding Union) accept cash only.
Verdict: This is one of the better transit systems in the GTA to get in and out of downtown. If you are not going downtown though, better to drive though (that is if you have a car).

Let me tell you, you do not want to take the VIVA to Newmarket if you can take the GO. Seriously, you’ll save an hour or more with the GO bus (even more if you catch the train!). On the weekends, there’s never a rush for seats, so I can spread my stuff out a bit. The schedules are a bit confusing to read, but the ticket staff at Union are helpful if you need to know which train will get you home by a certain time, and the fares are very reasonable for short-​distance day trips from the city.

I have to say that I am glad that go transit exists. Having lived uptown most my life, I wanted a quicker and more efficient way to get downtown. On late nights and early mornings, it is very inconvenient to take the ttc, transfer to public transit before even getting close to where I want to be.
Go transit does its best to arrive and drop off at the times specified on their schedules. In the non busy hours, I can zip downtown in less than 25 minutes which is the same amount of time if someone drove on then highway. It’s great that there is a ttc bus lane on the highway. I mean we are carpooling and trying to be more environmentally friendly!
If you take the train during rush hour and you aren’t one of the first three stop, you are bound to be standing most of the ride, but you can’t blame anyone for that. The staff always seem very friendly make making the afternoon announcements to ensure that riders get off at the correct stop.
They run on a a frequent schedule most of the time, and purchasing tickets is convenient. I wouldn’t say fares are too expensive, but definitely not cheap. It is an honour system but lately, I have seen more ticket checks and someone is always bound to get busted.
I think there are only a handful of times where I did not get to my destination on time, all due to road closures, festivals, and protesting… all on the go bus. With so many riders on a schedule, I think it is a good idea that go trains have implemented a refund policy for the go train if you arrive 15 minutes late. Not sure if anyone has gotten their money back yet, but at least this encourages timely delivery.
I’ll continue riding… and hope I get to experience one of those double decker go bus one day!

I feel like I’ve been living on public transit the last few months from Europe to North America I’ve been taking a lot of buses, subways and trains. Honestly I don’t understand the hate for the GO train. There’s nothing confusing about following the signs from Union or Exhibition Place to a ticket booth or ticket machine.
There are no multiple locations with very similar names where you could end up one or two stops away from where you actually want to be. There is no scummy transit officer that tries to fine aka scam you out of cash because they tell you that your ticket is not valid even though you have a receipt, the ticket is in your hand and you’ve purchased it from a legitimate location.
I purchase my ticket, get on the train and it takes me to where I need it to go. The GO trains are pretty clean, the transit officers have always been helpful and the ticket booth people have always been really nice to me when I don’t understand what platform I have to wait on for tickets with no platform number.
I’ve never taken the GO train during rush hour and it’s usually been during the weekend from TO to anywhere between Mississauga to Niagara Falls. It would compare to a slow train in Europe minus it being Euro ghetto fab as I stated the trains are usually pretty clean.

What’s with the awful ratings???
I would give this a 5 if I can. The only reason I didn’t is that the prices are a little inflated for the travel distance you’re going, and I’m a student 10-​rider.
Aside from that though, I’ve only been in one train and one bus delay in the 10 years I’ve ridden GO Transit. I must say they’re pretty good in terms of reliability to have this record. The GO Trains are fast as well, especially the Barrie Line which I use if I want to save money from taking the Stouffville Line.
The drivers are nice too, much nicer than the TTC drivers. I also like their uniform, a lot more physique. I’d probably put them second under the VIVA drivers.