My first article for the Guelph Mercury Community Editorial Board 2003.

Public transportation exists for the most part
unnoticed — it is something that is there, a service
usually provided by government and largely taken for
granted by the public. No one who runs these services
seems to pay attention to the people who utilize them,
and the common assumption is that “everything is all
right“. This is not accurate, and want to make some
observations about the public transit service in the
Guelph area.

Over the past few months, I have had a number of
discussions with people who regularly use Guelph
Transit, GO Transit, Greyhound, and Via Rail.  In
their opinion the service is making the grade in some
areas and failing in others. While there has been
praise for small improvements like additional routes
and extended service times, there are also various
complaints which seem to stem from four general areas:
the infrequency and lack of buses and trains on a
route, the need for good regional transit, the hours
which these transit services operate, and the cost of
single trips/monthly passes.

No one can argue against the fact that over the past
number of years the business complexion of Guelph and
the surrounding area has changed dramatically. For all
intents and purposes, this region has become a
24-hour-a-day economy.

Factories, plants, service centres, restaurants,
hotels, and other facilities are working round the
clock. The people who are employed by these companies
do not have an option of what shifts they work.
Furthermore, employers should not be expected to
schedule shifts based on their employees’ abilities to
get to work.

Employees are expected to report to work as per their
schedules. For people who own their own vehicle this
is not a problem but for those without, the lack of
public transportation is dramatic enough to limit
their job opportunities.

By and large, there have been some improvements made
locally and regionally. For example, Guelph Transit
has added additional routes, extended service hours,
created a day pass, and increased the bus service to
and from the University. On a Regional scale, GO
Transit and Greyhound have added some additional trip
times to and from Toronto, while VIA Rail introduced a
mid day train. While this has been a slight
improvement, there is still room to expand. Most of
these schedules worked well in the days of a 9-to-5
economy, but it does not approach satisfying the needs
of a Modern City and region operating 24 hours a day,
seven days a week.

In these days of rising fuel prices, increased air
pollution, and global warming, institutions such as
public transit will have more demands placed on them
as more people choose alternatives to the private,
one-person-per-car type of transportation.

So, what is the solution? In my opinion, the only way
to solve this problem is to run more buses and trains
while adjusting their respective schedules to meet the
demands of the public.

Additionally, there is a need for GO Transit to expand
into Waterloo Region, be it by train or bus, to link
one of the fastest growing regions in Canada to Guelph
and Toronto. Via Rail and Greyhound could also work to
connect us better to both Waterloo Region and Toronto
with more departures to and from these destinations.

On a local focus, Guelph Transit should lower the
monthly bus pass and ticket prices for youth and
adults. A day pass in the larger Grand River Transit
system, serving the tri-cities (Kitchener, Waterloo
and Cambridge), is $5 while in Guelph it is $6, and in
Toronto $7.75. University of Guelph students make up
the largest users of our transit system and get it at
the lowest price! University of Waterloo and Wilfred
Laurier University students using Grand River Transit
pay $136.00 for 3 months compared to U of G students
who pay $45.97 per semester and are not given an
opt-out option even though most students don’t use the
pass. Also, a “Blue Night” route system, like in
Toronto, would alleviate problems Downtown when the
bars/nightclubs close since taxis are usually in short
supply.

These improvements will cost money, and we, as
taxpayers will ultimately pay for them.

However, if potential employers chooses to locate in
other areas because their employees cannot
conveniently get to work, the resulting loss in
revenue will hurt equally as much, if not more. In all
likelihood, we will always have to subsidize public
transportation, as some things, by their very nature,
will never be self-sustaining.

In dealing with the issue, profit or loss should not
be the focus. Instead, we should concentrate on
fostering economic growth and employment. In this way
we will all benefit.