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transit in Ontario

the journal of Michael Werneburg

twenty-seven years and one million words

Nothing drives home the excellence of the Tokyo transit system like comparing it to that of a North American city.

Of course, Toronto is a relatively minor city, but it's still the business capital of a G-8 country and the greater city is home to some 5.7 million people. What I've found is that the regional train company (Go) has made great strides in building a viable rail feeder network to bring people into the city. They're actively building new rail lines, and these they're supplementing with new bus lines.

But the general level of transport availability is very low. Buses run at half hour intervals at best, and inter-city buses run on limited schedules that only suit the morning and evening rush hours. Inter-city rail is limited to GO or to very limited national rail service that connects very few locations and costs 5-10x what I'd expect to pay. Taking the national train service (VIA) home from the city last Thursday came to $55 including a $16 taxi fare from the station.

So citizens of Tokyo, be glad that you have such an excellent and affordable service!