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An unloved transit system
Peter Kuitenbrouwer
National Post
Thursday, June 07, 2007
The Mississauga Transit terminal at Islington subway station -- a row of semi-circular cement tubes into which buses rumble -- is in serious need of some TLC. On a recent morning at around 9 a.m, empty coffee cups, used Kleenex, cigarette butts, even a surgical glove littered the floor. One rider I talked to, Sharon -- a nurse heading home to Mississauga from her night shift at Toronto General -- commented, "Yeah, it is dirty. But then again, it's not Mississauga."
In my walk across Mississauga, I have relied on Mississauga Transit, Ontario's third-largest transit system (after Toronto and Ottawa) to ferry me to my starting point each day. I start composing my story on the return bus. The system is better than I expected; many Mississaugans think their transit system is worse than it is. There is a sense here that transit is only for those too poor to afford a car.
Walking through Malton on my first day, I met Steve Lee-Young, who works at the Malton Community Centre, and who grew up in Mississauga.
"Do you have someone to meet you after you finish your walk today?" he asked.
I told him I planned to take a bus; the thought hadn't occurred to him. "How much is it?" I asked.
"I don't know," he replied. "I haven't been on a bus since I was a kid. As soon as I was 16, I got my driver's licence."
From there I hoofed over to the transit hub by Westwood Mall. The area, a few traffic islands around which Brampton, Mississauga and Toronto buses congregate, has chipped concrete and tattered shelters. No one has paid it much heed in a number of years.
I paid my $2.50 and left the sweltering heat for the cool comfort of the No. 11 bus, bound for Islington. The bus, an older, boxy one, laboured under the job of both hauling passengers along Highway 427 and running the AC; about 500 metres from the subway, it died. The driver tried to start it a few times: no luck. "Try one more time!" a passenger shouted, but the driver shook his head, and we all filed out to walk a few blocks to the subway.
Oddly, the No. 11 leaves Islington at 9:28, 9:30, 9:58 and 10. Why don't they space the buses 15 minutes apart? Who knows.
A few days later I boarded the 26 Burnhamthorpe; the back doors had yellow police tape across them, preventing exit. "They were sticking," explained the driver, as a woman struggled to get her child's stroller out the front doors, while others attempted to board.
I've also been on new buses, and overall the service is reliable. I never have waited much for a bus. I always get a seat. There's a handy phone number, 905-615-INFO, where, after pressing a bunch of prompts, you can actually talk to a friendly person. The $96 I plunked down for a monthly transit pass seems pricey, but does allow me to transfer to a Brampton or Oakville bus. A bus ticket in Mississauga is valid for two hours, which means you can go shopping and come home without paying another fare.
I skipped my daily walk yesterday to sort out some technical problems; I will resume it at Mississauga City Hall this morning.
But I wanted to pause to say this: Do try Mississauga Transit, if only for the environment and to get some reading done. There are other perks too. On the 26 back to Islington the other day I saw a well-dressed 30-something man chat up a friendly woman around the same age; both were single, and before getting off, she typed his phone number into her cellphone. "I hope she calls," I said.
"She'll call," he said with confidence.
Hey -- you can't meet anyone on the highway.
An unloved transit system
Peter Kuitenbrouwer
National Post
Thursday, June 07, 2007
The Mississauga Transit terminal at Islington subway station -- a row of semi-circular cement tubes into which buses rumble -- is in serious need of some TLC. On a recent morning at around 9 a.m, empty coffee cups, used Kleenex, cigarette butts, even a surgical glove littered the floor. One rider I talked to, Sharon -- a nurse heading home to Mississauga from her night shift at Toronto General -- commented, "Yeah, it is dirty. But then again, it's not Mississauga."
In my walk across Mississauga, I have relied on Mississauga Transit, Ontario's third-largest transit system (after Toronto and Ottawa) to ferry me to my starting point each day. I start composing my story on the return bus. The system is better than I expected; many Mississaugans think their transit system is worse than it is. There is a sense here that transit is only for those too poor to afford a car.
Walking through Malton on my first day, I met Steve Lee-Young, who works at the Malton Community Centre, and who grew up in Mississauga.
"Do you have someone to meet you after you finish your walk today?" he asked.
I told him I planned to take a bus; the thought hadn't occurred to him. "How much is it?" I asked.
"I don't know," he replied. "I haven't been on a bus since I was a kid. As soon as I was 16, I got my driver's licence."
From there I hoofed over to the transit hub by Westwood Mall. The area, a few traffic islands around which Brampton, Mississauga and Toronto buses congregate, has chipped concrete and tattered shelters. No one has paid it much heed in a number of years.
I paid my $2.50 and left the sweltering heat for the cool comfort of the No. 11 bus, bound for Islington. The bus, an older, boxy one, laboured under the job of both hauling passengers along Highway 427 and running the AC; about 500 metres from the subway, it died. The driver tried to start it a few times: no luck. "Try one more time!" a passenger shouted, but the driver shook his head, and we all filed out to walk a few blocks to the subway.
Oddly, the No. 11 leaves Islington at 9:28, 9:30, 9:58 and 10. Why don't they space the buses 15 minutes apart? Who knows.
A few days later I boarded the 26 Burnhamthorpe; the back doors had yellow police tape across them, preventing exit. "They were sticking," explained the driver, as a woman struggled to get her child's stroller out the front doors, while others attempted to board.
I've also been on new buses, and overall the service is reliable. I never have waited much for a bus. I always get a seat. There's a handy phone number, 905-615-INFO, where, after pressing a bunch of prompts, you can actually talk to a friendly person. The $96 I plunked down for a monthly transit pass seems pricey, but does allow me to transfer to a Brampton or Oakville bus. A bus ticket in Mississauga is valid for two hours, which means you can go shopping and come home without paying another fare.
I skipped my daily walk yesterday to sort out some technical problems; I will resume it at Mississauga City Hall this morning.
But I wanted to pause to say this: Do try Mississauga Transit, if only for the environment and to get some reading done. There are other perks too. On the 26 back to Islington the other day I saw a well-dressed 30-something man chat up a friendly woman around the same age; both were single, and before getting off, she typed his phone number into her cellphone. "I hope she calls," I said.
"She'll call," he said with confidence.
Hey -- you can't meet anyone on the highway.