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Best commute Toronto to Kitchener

We're talking about the Kitchener/Waterloo bus, where you have to stand in the shed at platform 13 in -20 degree weather, dodging incoming buses.
 
Markster said:
We're talking about the Kitchener/Waterloo bus, where you have to stand in the shed at platform 13 in -20 degree weather, dodging incoming buses.
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I've rarely seen a line-up that's bad enough that you'd bother waiting long outside. I've also never seen a bus take out the line. There's marked areas to stand. And there's a roof. Yes, it's Canada ... it get's cold. Though I've felt more cold standing in St. Clair subway station, with the -20C wind whipping down the tunnel.

The only time I've really seen it busy to the point that not everyone is getting on, is when students are going back to school on Sunday evenings. I haven't seen this being a problem during rush-hour - which is is what we are discussing here. Have you seen this being a problem in rush hour? The key issue in rush hour is that it get's stuck in traffic.
 
If it's finally possible (presumably due to the explicit time-of-departure now on your ticket) to wait inside, then that is quite something.
I am simply describing every single experience I have ever had taking that bus.
 
Markster said:
If it's finally possible (presumably due to the explicit time-of-departure now on your ticket) to wait inside, then that is quite something.
I am simply describing every single experience I have ever had taking that bus.
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Why wouldn't you wait inside? The departure times are on the screen inside. And you can see the buses in the distant, so if something surprising happens, you can wander over to see what's going on.

What time of day are you seeing this? It sounds what I used to see at the end of a weekend heading back to Waterloo, rather than anything I've seen for weekday service.
 
I was once in a line that stretched down the back garage wall all the way to Dundas. Sunday evening trip to Ottawa after a holiday. I think it may have actually continued East along Dundas for a bit.
 
Sundays are certainly very different, (or especially Mondays after a long weekend). But does this happen for regular weekday service?
 
nfitz said:
Why wouldn't you wait inside? The departure times are on the screen inside. And you can see the buses in the distant, so if something surprising happens, you can wander over to see what's going on.
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Because it's Greyhound - if you don't line up, the bus could fill up entirely and Greyhound wouldn't bother to send another one. That's the kind of experience a lot of people I know have had, and why a number of them have sworn off Greyhound in favour of the one-transfer GO bus trip.

As for the commute from Toronto to suburban Kitchener, it's pretty tough, especially because you need to drive at the end of your trip. That said, it's definitely possible to take the bus in and then use a CarShare car booked in advance.
 
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I've taken the Greyhound to Waterloo for work a couple of times but you can't really work on it. I took VIA (staggering my day to come back to Toronto at 9pm) once but no business so no lounge access and no seats in the departure area. That sucked, as did breathing in the fumes from the leading F40 coming through the HEP stock as it pounded up through Weston.
 
mpd618 said:
Because it's Greyhound - if you don't line up, the bus could fill up entirely and Greyhound wouldn't bother to send another one. That's the kind of experience a lot of people I know have had, and why a number of them have sworn off Greyhound in favour of the two-transfer GO bus trip.
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On a weekday out of downtown?!? Again, that sounds like a Sunday ... I haven't even seen very full buses on a weekday. People are seeing this on weekdays??
 
nfitz said:
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.
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There was also that incident where that guy was beheaded and cannibalized by a fellow passenger on a Greyhound bus near Winnipeg a few years back. So it's not just the US.
 
doady said:
There was also that incident where that guy was beheaded and cannibalized by a fellow passenger on a Greyhound bus near Winnipeg a few years back. So it's not just the US.
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I said rural American and western services. The incident in question was on a bus from Edmonton to Winnipeg. How is that not a western service?
 
If one wanted to avoid the roads in winter, the best option for my Bro seems to be:

VIA Train 85 - Depart Union 10:55 AM, Arrive Kitchener 12:30 PM
Work 1.5 days, stay overnight and return home late night following day
VIA Train 88 - Depart Kitchener 9:42 PM, Arrive Union 11:17 PM

His employer will cover cost of train, hotel and rental car from Kitchener station. The train ride is 1 hr 35 mins, which is faster than the drive, especially in winter. Though there will be the time wasted getting taxi or rental car for the 20 min ride to office west of Kitchener.
 
Those trains don't have wifi so he should have a good data plan. If he doesn't want to stay overnight, he could just work a late day from 1-8:30PM and then take the same day train back to Toronto in the evening.

It's sad that VIA has such terrible service levels.
 
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