I had to think about this for a bit, only to realize there's a context missing for the numbers that plays right into your point:
https://blog.metrolinx.com/2019/01/...-map-released-for-go-and-up-express-stations/
There's no indication of the *origin* of the trips, assuming the vast majority are return ones. The quote above indicates travel to or toward Barrie! But then one can think: 'That's neutralized in terms of co-fare stats'...except is it?
For instance, are Bloor' and Kipling's numbers skewed by being destinations, or origins? And would "fare/transfer policy" play equally into that?
It's a really good question. There may be a multiplicity of factors playing into this (cost of parking, local bus service factors, general income levels of riders, et al) as I'm intrigued with the difference in numbers between Guelph and K/W, Guelph's being higher than K/W, (up to, depending how you define the catchment area) five times its size!
And yet GRT offers a cheaper co-fare than Guelph Transit does, ostensibly with less constraints on it as well:
This looks like a job for Steve Munro to do a multi-page analysis on!
Addendum: This went up while I was posting:
Yeah, it makes taking the map/chart figures at face value misleading without another layer or more of detail compensating for it. There's some amazing stories indicated in those stats, but the story may not be as it initially seems.