As of Jan. 5, Metrolinx has cancelled service to the York University Keele campus and Keele Street stops for multiple Go Bus routes, including the highway 407 47 route, which stops at the McMaster Go station.
Instead, the bus routes will end at the highway 407 Toronto Transit Commission subway station.
In a written statement, Metrolinx spokesperson and senior media manager Anne Marie Aikins said the change is part of a larger plan to move service to the highway 407 stop, which was implemented as part of Toronto’s line one subway extension in December.
“By focusing direct access on Highway 407 and TTC Line 1 Subway, customers can expect improved service reliability in the Keele Street and York University area, which can incur additional 20 minutes of travel time in peak hours due to traffic congestion,” said Aikins.
[spacer height="20px"]Aikins added that the decision was made in collaboration with York University, which has plans to turn the old Go bus loop into a pedestrian area.
McMaster students will now need to leave the 47 bus at the highway 407 subway station and take the subway two stops south to the York University station to arrive at the old bus loop.
Students will also have to pay TTC fare if they transfer, though they will receive a $1.50 discount transferring between the Go bus and the subway if they use their Presto card to pay.
Some McMaster students who rely on the York University stop have expressed concern that their commutes will be negatively affected by the change.
The 47 Go route was the only Toronto-Hamilton route that stopped at the McMaster campus.
Second-year arts and sciences student Daniella Mikanovsky frequently takes the 47 route to York before getting picked up or transferring to a TTC bus. However, with the service change, Mikanovsky says she will now likely have to take a different GO bus route all together.
“I like the 47 because it has a stop on campus. The 40 stop is at [King Street West and Dundurn Street North], so I need to take the Hamilton Street Railway before [Go transit], but with the new change, the 40 drop off is closer to my house than the 47,” said Mikanovsky.
This may pose a problem as the HSR is not known as being a particularly reliable transit system. For instance, last year, a spike in driver absenteeism resulted in thousands of bus cancellations, missed pickups and underserviced routes.
[spacer height="20px"]York University students also see Metrolinx’s decision as problematic. For instance, the York Federation of Students’ Yu Ride petition, which calls for the return of GO bus service to the Keele campus, has already gathered over 17,000 signatures.
The Canadian Union of Public Employees 3903 at York University notes that the return of the stop would save users over $1,000 in additional transit fees. As such, the change may create serious financial pressure for users who cannot afford to pay extra transit fares.
McMaster University’s CUPE 3906 adds that Metrolinx’s decision also affects sessional faculty members who routinely teach at multiple campuses across the province.
“For a workforce that is already precarious, the additional three dollars per day in TTC costs and the additional 10 minutes in commuting time will make life even harder,” reads part of a statement from CUPE 3906.
In addition, CUPE 3906 suggests that universities continue to lobby the provincial government for direct and affordable inter-campus transit.
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Samhita Misra
The Silhouette
It was the end of a twelve-hour workday when I sat down on the subway in Toronto, heading home. With a pounding headache and shoulders in desperate need of a massage, I pulled out my phone and began playing with it. Texting wasn’t an option underground, but I thought the message was pretty clear: my people skills were declining by the minute.
The man beside me was muttering. Mental illness, maybe, I thought. Not wanting him to feel like he was being judged, I didn’t look up. My phone’s limited uses grew all the more fascinating.
“Come on, how are you?” he said suddenly, cutting into my thoughts and leaning in.
“Oh! Good, thanks, how are you?” I replied, thinking I could no longer “respectfully” ignore him without being a jerk.
We conversed.
He was a Polish man trying to improve his English, he said, apologizing frequently for bothering me.
“You have nothing to apologize for,” I repeated adamantly with each apology.
As we spoke, I thought back to my previous impressions and felt horrible. Here I was, making assumptions about his life when I hate being defined by my own challenges. I struggled to make up for it by smiling warmly.
He kissed my hand and said, “you’re a very nice girl.”
I didn’t know how to take that.
Physical affection is important to me. Tight hugs and kisses on the cheek are a part of my daily life with those who are close to my heart. He was not, but then again, perhaps that was again my fault for being too quick to judge.
I smiled awkwardly, glancing at everyone else on the subway. Dryly, I noted that advertisements and fingernails seemed to be just as interesting to them as my phone had been to me minutes ago. The train was silent.
“Have a boyfriend?” he asked.
“No,” I replied, my compensative smile never wavering.
“No, you must have,” he insisted. “But say hi to Polish man, bye to boyfriend.”
My feminist heart clenched at the implication. It clenched further still when he stood up to leave, gesturing for me to follow him out and knocking on the window behind me to ask me again.
In the days since, I’ve thought about the man on the subway. My first impression may have been accurate: he could have had a mental illness, and far be it for me to judge him for it.
Alternatively, he may, as he said, have been a Polish man in a new country, lonely and looking for affection without understanding proper etiquette. Having known the excruciating pain of loneliness, my heart went out to him.
But what if it was more? What if my feminist heart had not misunderstood his words and gestures?
Friends, family and mentors have given me a couple of tips since then. First, if asked about a boyfriend, always say yes. Second, safety over courtesy: ignore him or get off the train.
The first is a tactic I hope never to use. As for the second, I can’t help but think that kindness is more than merely courtesy.
While boundaries must be respected and safety must be considered, I can’t help but think that in a society of averted glances, clipped answers and hasty exits, a little kindness can save each of us from the stigma and feelings of helplessness that surround our own, individual challenges.
