How to Fix Public Transit

Public transit in a lot of cities is broken, very broken, but it can be fixed. It isn’t as simple as just adding new buses or subways. Buses cost approximately 1 million dollars per vehicle, trains and subways cost even more. But in some regions they don’t need to buy more buses, they just have to merge routes together. The GTA can have a massive transit overhaul to cities in the 905/519/705 region by merging several systems together. GO could fill in by connecting the long distance service.

GO is also undertaking a massive project to allow for more train service on each of its lines. They can then add more train service out of Toronto to suburban cities in the 905/519/705 areas. The buses can be reallocated to connect to new areas. The areas around Toronto, such as Durham, York, Mississauga, Brampton and Halton, bus routes can be connected, and expanded. 

For instance, the 501 Zum Queen bus that operates from VMC station to downtown Brampton, could merge with the Viva Orange route. Then it could extend to Richmond Hill Centre. Currently the Viva has low ridership in the shared section of route, with the Zum. My recommendation for the routing would be to operate the Zum/Viva service as 2 branches. The Richmond Hill Centre branch that follows the existing Orange could extend only to Bramalea city centre. The other branch, York University to Brampton could operate all day while continuing to operate via the 407.

That is just one of many changes that could be implemented. It means that the cost of the service could be shared amongst the two transit agencies. The operations and cost being shared would allow the route to operate more efficiently. Also a lot of other route changes that allows buses to be freed up to allow better service.

One example is the 123 routing from Long Branch to Kipling station that route could be split into 2. One route could operate from Kipling to Sherway gardens. While the other could run from Sherway Gardens to Long Branch then further west to Clarkson GO station. It would be an extension of Mississaugas route 123. Both operate on similar frequencies and both layover at Long Branch loop. Instead of the layover, the bus can operate through Long Branch. There would be a more consistent routing and at least one bus could be freed up maybe 2. Freeing up 2 buses could mean additional service on a different route. 

Other options to improving service would be to have buses that operate on different routes. Currently in places like Durham region some of the buses operate on 2 or 3 routes. This way buses can move freely through the region. It allows for a little less downtime on routes, and allows for more service at times when it is needed. 

The problem with certain systems is the people in charge of planning, get told by the city or region, to operate as cost efficient as possible. Every transit system relies heavily on fare revenue. The problem with that, is some routes that are necessary to connecting to residential areas. But they will have low ridership, which means the fare revenue will be lower. Those routes are usually the ones that get cut or reduced faster. Meaning the riders that take that bus, lose the bus. They do not tend to ride the other routes they normally take. Which means ridership drops slowly on other routes and they potentially get cut or reduced as well.

Transit systems need to stop relying heavily on fare revenue. They need to look at more ways to get riders on buses in those residential areas. Routes in cities like Aurora and Newmarket could merge together to cover more ground. By merging some of the routes they might be able to increase the frequencies enough. It would allow more people to ride the buses and connect to major routes like the Viva routes. Increasing service and even merging some of the routes would allow riders to have more options for routes. It would be a way to increase ridership in areas where ridership is generally low. It would then help increase ridership on other routes and services. By doing that it would hopefully help to reduce traffic congestion on the roads. 

Over the last several years, there have been reports that have been released, that discuss public transit in the GTA. Discussing how it can be improved. Some of the suggestions are at this time considered a fairy tale. But some can be made rather easily. If all transit systems play nice with each other. There are more drastic changes that can happen as well. I would love seeing those but it makes it harder to plan a good transit system this way. For instance, taking all transit systems across the Golden Horseshoe and uploading to Metrolinx, to create one system could work. Theoretically.

In reality it’s going to be a lot harder to implement this as well as implementing meaningful service upgrades. It would be easier for Translink to assume the Central Fraser Valley system as well as Squamish and Whistler systems. It would have been easier to upload the transit systems in and around Edmonton into the Greater Edmonton transit system. That ultimately ended up not happening, because certain cities weren’t on board with the changes.

If Metrolinx were to take over the local systems and regions, there would be areas that aren’t covered by transit. Those areas would most likely want transit built to be a part of the Metrolinx system. Also there are many different union contracts to consider. That means different pay scales that would need to be sorted out before anything can be done. Currently there are some areas where different systems cross boundaries. Such as in Oakville where they have bus routes that go into both Burlington and Mississauga. As well as Burlington that operates into Hamilton.

Mississauga, Brampton, YRT and DRT operate into the city of Toronto. They currently only drop off heading in and pick up leaving the city. Eventually those agreements will change. But as for uploading all systems into one, there could be more of that. Buses could then operate across multiple “zones” and could even have different systems operating it.

If Metrolinx took operation of the local systems, I assume there would be “zones” or “divisions” within a larger system. When I mentioned Translink taking over the Central Fraser Valley, Squamish and Whistler systems being easier to do, it is. The Metro Vancouver region is much smaller than the GTA. The city of Vancouver in size is actually a lot smaller than people realize. Vancouver’s smaller than Etobicoke and the Greater Vancouver area is much smaller in size than the GTA. In the GTA there are multiple transit systems. With each one operating different hours compared to other cities.

Milton for example really only runs until about 8 or 9 pm for the most part. The reason the system was built was to feed people to the GO service. With a few other routes scattered in for shopping, the hospital and medical services. Burlington and Oakville have operated as a transit system servicing the city first and GO secondary. Even if all the routes in both systems connect to a GO station or GO terminal. That is more for the convenience of having a bus loop they can use for connecting routes. Long gone are the dedicated GO shuttle routes that used to operate in both cities.

In places like Durham region, they try to connect to schools, malls, hospitals, and medical facilities. They also operate into Scarbourgh for people wanting to go into Toronto without taking the GO. While I do understand that GO stations in Durham have a selection of DRT buses stopping there, not all do. Places like Oshawa have only a couple of routes leaving the station. Most of the cities buses leave from the Oshawa Centre terminal.

In Pickering most of the routes operate to the Pickering Parkway Terminal and that is across the 401. To get there you need to walk across an overpass over the highway from the platforms at the station. Also, a lot of buses that stop at the terminal are not designed to wait for trains in the station. Therefore at times a person gets off the train and walks across the bus they need may already be gone. Meaning they end up having to wait up to 30 minutes depending on the route.

By integrating several transit systems together more routes could merge creating a one seat ride certain connecting to more cities. It could also allow GO to take buses that currently operate locally, to be able to be more express. They could then connect to local transit services at certain points.

For instance in Durham there is a GO Bus that operates the highway 2 corridor of Kingston, Dundas and King St going from Scarborough Centre to Oshawa GO. Well in that corridor there is already a local DRT route 900. That operates the same corridor and also from Ajax into Scarborough there is the 920 which operates from north Oshawa. Those routes could be modified to connect to GO services at limited points in Durham. The GO service could be more of an express option, or be shortened and merged with other GO routes.

The 96 GO bus operates from the 4 Durham GO stations to Scarborough and then to Finch station. The 92 could merge in with that route. Then passengers along the hwy 2 corridor could connect to the 96 at Scarborough using the 920 bus. There is also a bus that operates from Pickering GO to Pearson and Square One that could also take people that would have traveled to Yorkdale via the 92.

By potentially increasing service on the 96 and removing the 92, GO would be able to free up buses to reallocatte them. Then they could provide new or better service in other areas of the region. It’s the same with local routes too.

By potentially merging routes in some areas to extend across boundaries, there can be more frequent service. To make that work, they take 3 routes that ran over parts of the corridors, and merge them into one. Then remove layover time from the middle so that layover time could be added into the running time of the route.

So for example. If route 1 operated every 30 minutes, with 3 buses on the route each with 15 minutes of layover time on each end, thats 90 minutes of layover time between them. Then take route 10 and merge that into one. Route 10 runs every 15 minutes with 4 buses. Each bus gets 5 minutes of recovery on each end, that is 40 minutes of layover time. Then you take route 100 and merge that in. The route 100 runs every 10 minutes with 8 buses that have 10 minutes of layover time on each end. That give 160 minutes of layover time. So by merging 3 routes together here you get 290 minutes of combined layover time between all of the buses.

If the new route does a round trip in 120 minutes, that means that the frequency can be increased along the route. At least one if not two buses can be moved from the combined new route. Those buses can then go to other areas for an increase of service.

Also with combining routes there is a potential that certain sections of routes would be cut. For example if Oakville transit routes 5 and 24 as well as the MiWay transit route 1 merged together to form one route from Dundas/407 carpool lot in Burlington to Kipling Station in Toronto. The sections of both the 5 and 24 between the Uptown core transit loop to Oakville GO would be cut. Obviously they would need to be replaced. The section along Winston Churchill to South Common mall in Mississauga on the 24 would need to be replaced also.

The routing to South Common would also be cut on the route 1. All sections would need to be replaced by new or existing services. Meaning that bus savings in the areas cut and added to the common stretch of route would need to be replaced from somewhere. The stretch from Uptown to Oakville GO would need at least 2 buses. The route to South Common mall would require a couple of buses as well. In the case of the South Common mall section there are routes already operating. Those routes cross Dundas and operate to both UTM and South Common Mall. There is already a route 1 that operates from Trafalgar/407 carpool lot to Oakville GO via Uptown Core. That route would just need additional frequency to account for the extra riders that would be lost from the 5/24 changes.

But these are just many of the ideas that can go into improving transit across the GTA, and just in general across different areas of Canada. Anything that can help public transit grow and improve will be necessary. Especially with the population increases in major cities, and a road network already stretched thin. For those that don’t know what I mean about road networks stretched thin, drive the 401 through Toronto. Or take the 400 on a long weekend heading to the cottage.

Then you will know what I mean about roads that can’t handle more vehicles. It also becomes a lot more clear when one of these highways has to close due to an accident. Try seeing where vehicles have to go. At least with a better transit system, there’s a higher likelihood that people will transit then driving. Hopefully it means less vehicles on the roads, meaning possibly less accidents.

Another thing I’ll be discussing in a series of articles is the population growth. Also how Transit Oriented Developments (TOD’s) impact how transit operates as well.

I look forward to sharing all my ideas and the news articles that are relevant on this site.

I’ll be posting a lot more on here about different suggestion and ideas that I have. But for now I think this is good for covering some of the basics. I would appreciate hearing suggestions people have to improve service.

I’ll be discussing some plans that certain systems have to increase service over the next several years and using that model for improving service in different cities.