Toronto Union Pearson Express | ?m | ?s | Metrolinx | MMM Group Limited

One thing I am not sure is that why the TTC doesn't offer a direct non-stop downtown-Pearson express service from Union, instead of from Kipling station. The bus will use the same route as the Airport shuttle bus, and runs every 15-20 minutes, or less frequent during time when the airport has few landings/takeoffs. Will that lose money? It could charge a premium service fee, $6 for example and I think it will get a lot of business.

What I am discussing is something in between - a non-premium but direct bus service between downtown and Union at a price in between. It will be faster than subways+192 but less predictable (and less luxurious) than the UPe. Something the two colleagues might like if the price is $6.

What you are describing is a GO Transit bus.
 
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What you are describing is a GO Transit bus.

Like the ones from Yorkdale and York Mills?

Not surprising that ksun's work friends do not know about these....there really is a perception out there that GO is only a service that serves and people who reside in the 905....while that might be partly/mostly true, there are pockets of their service that are quite useful for folks in the city.
 
Like the ones from Yorkdale and York Mills?

Not surprising that ksun's work friends do not know about these....there really is a perception out there that GO is only a service that serves and people who reside in the 905....while that might be partly/mostly true, there are pockets of their service that are quite useful for folks in the city.

Yeah, GO could use some publicity relating to their non-downtown oriented urban services.

Though personally I avoid the 401 buses because, much like ksun's proposed Union-Pearson bus, they are very unreliable.

The 407 buses, on the other hand, are great. Particularly noteworthy is Route 40 Airport Express which covers the 30 km distance to Richmond Hill Centre in 20 minutes - an average speed of 90 km/h! In comparison, UP Express averages 53 km/h. The main problem with Route 40 is that it only runs once per hour. Fortunately there seems to have been steady ridership growth since the route's inception. I now sometimes see full buses, something completely unheard of a few years ago. I think now would be a great time to add a second bus to the route, bringing the service to up 2bph. Metrolinx could piggyback on the UP Express publicity to promote it.
 
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An extended airport Link Train to Malton connecting with the future improved GO RER service along kitchener line would be the best option for YYZ. $6.8 one way, linked to YYZ by an extended Link Train and stops at all stations along the way to both Brampton and Toronto (will include future infill stations). It serves ordinary commuters and has better connectivity to everywhere in Toronto and the Peel region. UP Express will then be a true premium service that goes directly to Union.
 
You're just nitpicking.

No he's right
The paradigm that we have in our brains is that construction times like this is normal
Near future shouldn't be a decade. That's medium term
Near future should be within 5 years
That's the cancer in our society these days
 
An extended airport Link Train to Malton connecting with the future improved GO RER service along kitchener line would be the best option for YYZ. $6.8 one way, linked to YYZ by an extended Link Train and stops at all stations along the way to both Brampton and Toronto (will include future infill stations). It serves ordinary commuters and has better connectivity to everywhere in Toronto and the Peel region. UP Express will then be a true premium service that goes directly to Union.

That would actually be quite useful, and an easy win. Or at least offer LINK bus shuttles to the station as well. I didn't even realize until recently that a GO station is fairly close to the airport.
 
That would actually be quite useful, and an easy win. Or at least offer LINK bus shuttles to the station as well. I didn't even realize until recently that a GO station is fairly close to the airport.

and should have been done 20 years ago.
It doesn't take a genius to figure out it is the easiest way to provide fast airport access. But we are interesting in more glamorous projects such as future extension of Eglinton Crosstown or the expensive high end UPe.
 
That would actually be quite useful, and an easy win. Or at least offer LINK bus shuttles to the station as well. I didn't even realize until recently that a GO station is fairly close to the airport.

It is right across the street from the airport lands and there are a fair few people here who have been advocating some connection from it to the terminals for a long time. When the Blue22 (now UPe) was in its early planning stages we were saying then that a Malton connector would not only be cheaper to build but would serve more people.....but that ship has sailed and it certainly makes sense as an alternative middle cost transit option to the airport (espcially as we move into the RER world).

Even now it always makes me chuckle when you get on a KW westbound train and the CS announces that the train is all stops to "X" (not always the same) and at various stations there are GO bus connections to a variety of smaller places....but GO has never thought "why not have a GO bus connection at Malton to T1 and T3".
 
Even running a GO bus from Union to Pearson could work.

That would be useful for people going to/from downtown. Sounds so simple, another thing that should've been done decades ago.

But with Metrolinx also operating the UPX, this will probably not happen because they would effectively be competing with themselves by having $7 bus or $19 train.
 
That would be useful for people going to/from downtown. Sounds so simple, another thing that should've been done decades ago.

But with Metrolinx also operating the UPX, this will probably not happen because they would effectively be competing with themselves by having $7 bus or $19 train.

Why aren't private companies offering such services?
In many countries, private companies provide an alternative transportation options to government provided services.

The airport shuttle couldn't make it because it stops at too many hotels. Why ridership fell? because it takes too long - I only took it once and ended up costing the same time as TTC, possibly more because the bus spent 40 minutes circling around downtown after exiting the expressway. If you depart from Union (or nearby) and go straight to the Gardiner, it will be a lot faster than the airport shuttle.

I don't know for some reason, Toronto transit is stuck in this "people can't walk for more than 3 minutes" mindset. The airport shuttle, the 180 meter a stop streetcars. They are excruciatingly slow because of excessive stops.
 
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That would be useful for people going to/from downtown. Sounds so simple, another thing that should've been done decades ago.

But with Metrolinx also operating the UPX, this will probably not happen because they would effectively be competing with themselves by having $7 bus or $19 train.

But if the bus went from Malton Station (as an extender of current Union to Malton train service) it would serve people starting at Union and other points along the line.
 
But if the bus went from Malton Station (as an extender of current Union to Malton train service) it would serve people starting at Union and other points along the line.

That would be helpful too, but I don't think the Kitchener trains have service outside the morning/afternoon rush.

Hell, I just looked and there already is all day GO bus service to Malton station as well, surely they can add another stop at the airport.
 

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