GO bus service to York U has officially stopped

A controversial decision to move GO buses off of York University’s Keele campus kicked in this week.

Students using GO buses to travel to the university from around the GTA will now have to get off at the new Highway 407 station, and then head into campus by subway.

Students were dismayed when the change was first announced in November 2018. They circulated a petition calling for service to be preserved as is.

Monday was the first day of class with the new route in effect, and students’ reactions were mixed.

“In all honesty it’s been a lot faster,” says student Dane Austin. “I know the commute, I timed it down to a tee. Before it was 30 minutes, it’s cut down at least 10 minutes.”

Other students estimate it will take longer to get to school, but regardless of the time it takes, there’s also an additional cost.

Riders must pay an extra fare to transfer from the GO bus to the TTC. To offset the cost, GO Transit has introduced a fare discount of $1.50 per ride in cooperation with the TTC. However in order to take advantage of the discounted fare, a Presto card is required. The university has said online that it will “continue to advocate for a full fare integration.”

“It’s going to be an extra $60 a month,” says Seneca at York student Will Shore. “I’m deciding whether I should just buy a parking pass and drive down, but that’s more expensive. Pretty much every option is getting more and more expensive.”

Shore added that it would take him about 40 minutes to walk from the station to his classes at the far side of campus, so walking is not a practical option either.

The GO changes come on the heels of the suspension of York Regional Transit’s Viva bus service to the campus back in September 2018. Since then, the Viva buses were redirected to the Pioneer Village stop and students have to either walk 15 to 20 minutes to campus or take the TTC subway one stop to York University station.

The GO bus service was initially supposed to run till the end of the school term in early spring.

CityNews received several tips from concerned viewers about the service change citing five main problems:

• Added travel time
• Added expense
• Mandatory purchase of a Presto card for the double discounted fare
• Added inconvenience to those with disabilities
• Safety of walking at night or in adverse weather conditions

 

Metrolinx and York University are at odds over the reason for service cancellation.

The service was supposed to run till the end of the school term in early spring but in November, a source told CityNews the President of York University, Rhonda Lenton, specifically asked Metrolinx to remove their buses from campus sooner than planned.

A letter from Metrolinx to York University that was sent in the fall says that the school asked the transit agency to end bus service so that York could create a pedestrian zone on campus.

However, York University said in a statement in November, and again Monday, that it was Metrolinx’s decision.

“York U would welcome the return of GO bus service to our Keele Campus. We have made this clear to the Ministry of Transportation, Metrolinx and the York community. At this time, Metrolinx has advised the University that it will not consider reversing its decision,” said Yanni Dagonas York University’s deputy spokesperson, in a statement.