Caledon GO bus route service extended for 6 months after commuter pressure

After complaints from commuters, Metrolinx has decided to extend a GO bus route between Caledon and Brampton for an additional six months. 

Starting on July 2, the 38 (Bolton/Malton/North York) GO bus will continue as a temporary service until January 2020. Customers will still be able to go from Caledon and Brampton to the Malton GO station, where they can pick up the Toronto-bound Kitchener line.

"It's a sigh of relief," said Allan Thompson, mayor of the Town of Caledon. 

"I think they're starting to realize it isn't just a cut, it's about connecting vulnerable people and getting people to work."

The service has been reduced to two morning and two evening routes, with the midday runs cancelled.
 
"It's better to have something than nothing at all," said Thompson.

Caledon transit system plan

In early June, Metrolinx announced it was cutting three GO bus routes due to "low performance." The news led to a month-long campaign from the Town of Caledon.

"Despite very low and declining ridership, we know that Route 38 connects many rural communities in Peel and York regions, with GO buses serving as the only available transit link for a group of customers," Phil Verster, Metrolinx president and CEO, said in an email. 

"Maintaining this service while the Town of Caledon finalizes plans for a similar service will help preserve ridership as the town seeks to strengthen connections between communities."

According to Thompson, the Town of Caledon will work with Brampton Transit to add routes that will bring more riders to Route 38. The system will be part of an expansion that connects the surrounding communities to feed more riders to the GO system.

Those changes will take effect in September and will increase ridership, said Thompson.

Caledon transit won't replace GO routes, town officials say

The Town of Caledon issued its proposal on June 7, just days after Metrolinx made its route-cut announcement.

"We did not have formal confirmation of these plans until after we announced the cancellations," said Verster, "which provided a firm commitment to offer services that mirrored what we provide on Route 38."

Verster continued that once the Town of Caledon's transportation system is underway, Metrolinx will end its Route 38 service and will reassign the resources elsewhere.  

In response to Verster's statement, Thompson and Mike Galloway, chief administrative officer for the Town of Caledon, disputed the contention that Caledon's transit plans are meant to replace GO routes.

"The Town has always focused on balanced service with GO and never on duplication of services," said Thompson and Galloway.

Additional GO bus route cuts

The GO transit bus routes that will no longer be running as of June 29 are:

• Route 20 (Milton/Oakville).
• Route 24 (Cambridge/Milton).
• Route 38A (Bolton/North York).
• Route 60 (Canada's Wonderland), which was announced previously.

The following routes are scheduled for a reduction in service:

• Route 90 (Lakeshore East).
• Route 81 (Beaverton/Port Perry/Whitby).