Best commute Toronto to Kitchener

[Admiral Beez]

My brother lives downtown, and doesn't want to move. He's been offered a job about 15-10 mins drive west of Kitchener. Job is work from home most days, but one day a week at the Kitchener office, with the option to do two days at the office and work from home te entirety of the following week.

Driving it's about 140 km, with traffic about 2 hours. I'm suggesting he instead, especially in winter, take the VIA or GoTrain from Union Stn, since you travel in comfort and safety and have WiFi to work while you travel. Challenge is the train schedules. For the two days away it could work as the VIA leaves Union at 10:30am, arives at 12:30pm, allowing for an afternoon at the office then full day the next, but the return train the following day doesn't return to Union until nearly mid-night. What about the GoTrain? While busses offer better schedules, I don't see value in taking the bus, as it gets stuck in the same traffic jams as cars.

My bro loves trains and wants to make that method work. One question is how to get to the office from Kitchener rail station? Is there a rental car place nearby? Zipcar station? Can you keep a zipcar overnight? The car would also be needed for driving to visit clients and suppliers in the area, so a taxi from train stn to office won't work.

The employer will cover full cost of trains, hotels, car allowance, buses, whatever transport method is chosen.

 

[mdrejhon]

A few years ago, I worked in Kitchener-Waterloo and lived in Toronto's Riverdale. The fastest commute I found was by driving my car at 6:30am on the Gardiner then 404 then 401, took only 1h25min. The traffic flowed well at this hour, with only occasional 80kph moments. Then a brief moment of congestion when entering Waterloo, but never went slow for more than three to five minutes most of the time.

I rented a student room, so I stayed the week, and commuted back to the Toronto home on Friday evenings.

GO trains won't work yet for this. The morning trains only commute towards Toronto. Eventually they will do 2-way service.

VIA trains were slower than 6:45am car by a huge amount, but I did use that sometimes. I used public transit to get to work. They will start their ION LRT in something like a couple years, so there are construction detours all over the place.

Beware. departing at 730am instead of 630am often extended my trip by half an hour. Leave super early to get the 1.5 hour drive.

For a once-a-week thing with VIA and it's not easy via public transit, I would highly recommend a taxi or Uber. Zipcars can be kept overnight but costs more than taxi.

Cheers

 

[wopchop]

What I would do is take the 2 days in the office and entire next week at home.

So, he could take an evening GO Train from UNion to Kitchener, spend the next two days at the office, and then commute back downtown on a morning peak GO Train.

A lot of car rental agencies will deliver the vehicle to you, so he might want to explore that option.

 

[Markster]

My bro loves trains and wants to make that method work. One question is how to get to the office from Kitchener rail station? Is there a rental car place nearby? Zipcar station? Can you keep a zipcar overnight? The car would also be needed for driving to visit clients and suppliers in the area, so a taxi from train stn to office won't work.

AutoShare has a partnership with Community CarShare, which is our local car share system. If you're a member of one, getting a membership at the other is cheap/easy. They have a car located at the VIA station.

 

[nfitz]

I've been doing this for over a decade.

There is not train a option. Not since the cancellation of the morning train to Kitchener in the 1980s.

It's Greyhound or driving. Or a very convoluted bus trip using GO Bus that involves Square One, MiWay and TTC.

There's a magical window, that if you leave before X, the traffic isn't that bad. It used to be about 7:10 AM, but now it's closer to 6:45 - at least after the Pan-AM HOV lanes vanish.

My suggestion would be two work 2 days in a row, stay overnight, leave at 6:30 AM, and then wait to come back until about 6:30 pm.

For a while I had a routine going, where I drove up every 3rd day (1-2 times a week), and that wasn't too bad. Though over time it's become more like twice a month.

If I leave early enough, from Upper Beaches to north Waterloo, is about 75 minutes, and coming back I've had it under 70 minutes if I leave at 10 pm or so. Should be able to do 60 minutes to someone who lives at Queens Quay and Yonge.

 

[wopchop]

Oh, he has a car? Somehow I missed that. Yeah, I would drive and just leave before 7:00. If you do that, traffic should be fine. I start work at 7:00 and traffic in the morning is hardly ever a problem.

 

[Markster]

Yeah, I've got a friend who works at the Toronto satellite office of a Kitchener software company, and he comes up every Wednesday, either carpooling with a co-worker, or taking the Greyhound. Greyhound sucks, but they suck because they're basically the only real option and have no competition.

 

[Admiral Beez]

Oh, he has a car? Somehow I missed that. Yeah, I would drive and just leave before 7:00. If you do that, traffic should be fine. I start work at 7:00 and traffic in the morning is hardly ever a problem.

He does, but can't leave Toronto until about 8am, so traffic will be bad and the winter drive would be harsh.

 

[mdrejhon]

I had a few 1h15min drives from Riverdale area of Toronto, to Waterloo University, at 6:30am Monday timings. Butt I kept leaving late at 7am.

 

[ehlow]

Why does Greyhound suck?

I think I'd be tempted to choose that over driving since you can work on the bus.

 

[nfitz]

He does, but can't leave Toronto until about 8am, so traffic will be bad and the winter drive would be harsh.

If you can't leave until 8, I'd wait until 9:15 or so.

 

[Admiral Beez]

No way I'm taking Greyhound.

The odds of being murdered or attacked by lunatics on a Greyhound bus are not as remote as one might think.

http://edition.cnn.com/2002/US/West/10/01/bus.ax.ap/
A transient was booked on suspicion of murder Tuesday for allegedly slashing the throat of a Greyhound bus driver with a pair of scissors, causing a crash that killed two passengers.

http://www.injuryhelpline.com/index...enger+seizes+control+of+Greyhound+bus&id=3856
A Dallas-bound Greyhound bus traveling through eastern Arkansas on Interstate 40 careened into marshy woods off of the interstate when an allegedly delusional passenger seized control of the steering wheel from the driver.

http://www.cuttingedge.org/NEWS/n1554.cfm
Six people were killed and dozens of others injured after a passenger on a Greyhound bus stabbed the bus driver, causing the bus to wreck and flip on Interstate 24

http://www.justachat.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-356.html
An Atlanta man has been charged with stabbing three people in a fight over the use of a toilet on a Greyhound bus and was being held without bail Monday, police said.

And if the crazies don't get you, maybe the driver will...

http://articles.latimes.com/2005/nov/28/local/me-bus28
A Greyhound bus with 44 people aboard veered off U.S. 101 near here early Sunday, slid down an embankment, flipped on its side and hit a tree, killing a pregnant woman and a man. “There is a strong possibility that the driver fell asleep and ran off the road,” said Lt. Dan Minor, commander of the Santa Maria-area California Highway Patrol.

http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/story?section=news/local&id=5866045
The North Carolina Highway Patrol says a preliminary investigation suggests the bus driver is at fault for a collision that sent dozens to the hospital. Passengers said driver was asleep.

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4188/is_20040311/ai_n11445966
A Greyhound bus accident that injured 29 people along a desolate stretch of desert highway, the Utah Highway Patrol said Wednesday it expects only minor charges to be filed against the driver, who allegedly fell asleep at the wheel.

 

[nfitz]

There's a world of difference between Greyhound services to Kitchener, and rural American and western services. The crowd on the Kitchener bus looks the same as a GO Bus. Mostly students.

 

[Markster]

Why does Greyhound suck?

It's generally the whole customer service experience that sucks.
Waiting in the Dundas Bus terminal (or on the street at York/Wellington)
The heavy restrictions on ticket flexibility (a far cry from 10 years ago, when you'd get tickets that were valid for any bus in the next several months)
The cramped ride (at least for someone who's 6'2" like myself)

It looks like the QuickLink Commuter passes at least give you back ticket flexibility.
In general, at least in the Kitchener area, they've been increasing their focus on those commuters.

 

[Napoleon]

Why does Greyhound suck?

I think I'd be tempted to choose that over driving since you can work on the bus.

I've done it a few times to get to the Waterloo campus as it's the only feasible option from Toronto. While it's not rural America greyhound crazies, or even as bad as the bus to NYC, it's not really comfortable. The worst part is that even if you have a ticket for a certain bus, you're still not guaranteed to get it. So you have to line up at the coach terminal which is not exactly a pleasant place to spend time. Wireless on the buses is pretty sporadic. Not a lot of leg room either.