Ride the Rocket! (Transport in Toronto in general)

Member Name: The Daz

Product:	Transport in Toronto in general
Date:	20/10/08 (164 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Extensive network, good value.

Disadvantages: None whatsoever!

You'd expect a city once described as 'New York run by the Swiss' to have a pretty good transport system, befitting an urban area of close to 5 million. Toronto does not disappoint. With a vast network reaching far and wide over Canada's largest urban sprawl, the public transport here plays an important role in lessening the increasing effects of laying concrete, painting lines on it and allowing cars to belch fumes all over the result. The network has grown steadily to become an invaluable institution, vital to the future growth and viability of Toronto as Canada's most important Financial Centre, and tourist magnet.

The TTC (Toronto Transport Commission) is one of the region's largest employers, with 11,000 staff serving 450 million annual riders on a combined network of Subway, Bus, Streetcar (Tram), and Light Rail across the City of Toronto and other constituent Cities of the GTA (Greater Toronto Area) such as York, Scarborough and Etobicoke. (Yes - parentheses and acronyms abound once more!).

Other facts are easy enough to bamboozle with: 122,000 miles serviced during 2007, 1,500 Buses, 200,000 passengers daily at the busiest stations. I could go on - but you'd get bored!!

As a visitor to Toronto - my needs are slightly different to those of the commuter. I have no need of Monthly or Annual Passes (of which there are several), or for combination Transit and Rail Tickets, or how to get my Federal Tax Credits for Ticket Costs (Yes - really!), or even for upcoming news of strike action (Unions eh)... Mainly I am concerned with accessibility, network capability and value for money.

Network: Broadly speaking, for the Tourist, this takes 3 systems and intertwines them over almost all of the parts of Toronto that you would wish to see. The Bus is obviously the most extensive service, with dozens of lines reaching out into the suburbs, including some Rush Hour only Express services that whip between major stops, shooting past the all-stopping local services. There are also All Night routes that serve the major suburbs from downtown, to ensure that everyone has the chance to get home, no matter how worse for wear they might be. Buses are regular and increasingly common are the 'kneeling' accessible buses, complete with external bike racks.

The Subway is the jewel in the TTC's Crown. Nicknamed 'The Rocket' it runs on 4 lines and connects a Downtown Horseshoe loop (Yonge-University-Spadina: Yellow Line), with a cross-town link between the Western and Eastern edges of the City (Bloor-Danforth: Green Line), a further extension between the Northern Suburbs (Sheppard: Purple), and a newer line linking the Eastern end of the Green Line with Scarborough (Scarborough RT).
Subway Trains are very regular (every 90 seconds at Rush Hour), and generally clean and comfortable to ride.

After a while you get used to the unusual accent of the female station announcer that jolts the traveller out of their comfortable reverie (there's not much to see in a Tunnel). The over pronounced syllables sound funny but make the best sense to the huge array of different nationalities and languages spoken in the city (one of the most diverse collection of international communities in the world).

The Streetcar evokes a romantic appeal to the traveller - plying rails set into the roads along mostly cross-town routes, linking popular streets of the city that often run for miles off into the distance. The unmistakeable sound of the bell as the Streetcar pulls up to a stop, and the joy of whizzing past pedestrians as you speed above ground, combined with the sheer accessibility of being able to step on and off at street corners make the Streetcar an enduring favourite for Transit goers.

Fares: Tickets, Passes, Transfers and Tokens can be bought from Subway Stations, some street newsagents, and on buses - but you will need exact change on Buses and Streetcars. A Transfer entitles you to a change of transport within a time limit. Passes are available in a bewildering variety of combinations and offer exceptional value for money.
A standard fare is $2.75 (roughly £1.20), and is valid for a single journey of ANY length within the TTC network - although if you're still on a route after an hour or so, you're likely out of the City and within the GTA, and a supplement is payable. Students pay $1.85, and Children $0.70. Reductions for buying 5-10 tickets apply, and a Day Pass is available for only $9 (about £4), which entitles you to unlimited travel from about 6am when the system starts up, until 05:30am the following day (allowing you to use All Night Services).

Pay attention tourists: A Day Pass is normally good for a single Adult. However, on Saturdays, Sundays and Public Holidays, a single Pass is valid for: 2 Adults and up to 4 Children (Under 19's), or 1 Adult and 5 Children. This is astoundingly good value, and allows your entire horde to swarm the TTC all day for what could work out at several pence per trip per person.

There are a number of excellent routes to recommend, and rather than witter on mindlessly about Nodal Interchange Viability and Locality Coverage Plans, I'll stick to being a Tour Guide.

Get the Subway (Yellow Line) down to the bottom of the Loop at Union Station, and negotiate the underground Concourse to reach the 509 and 510 Streetcar Lines that go between the Train Station and the Harbourfront, which will allow access to the Islands Ferry, the Waterfront areas and a bit of Fresh Air.

The 501 Streetcar Eastbound runs along Queen Street all the way (a good 20 minutes) to the excellent Beach south of Victoria Park. Westbound takes you along the trendy Queen Street West, bustling with cafés, music shops and tattoo parlours.

My final top tip - encompassing the whole cleverness and accessibility of the system concerns the Airport. Situated some 10 miles or more west of Downtown (technically in the adjoining City of Mississauga) - there are as you would expect a variety of avaricious Coach and Taxi firms willing to part you of upwards of $20 each for an hour long trip to/from your downtown hotel. Ignore these.
From the same part of the airport, look for the 192 Airport Rocket Bus service amongst the other routes. It serves the Business Park beyond the Airport Fence and then on to the Western end of the Green Line at Kipling Interchange. For the standard $2.75 each you get a speedy 15-20 minute bus ride along the Gardiner Expressway to Kipling, where you catch the Subway another 20 minutes straight into the heart of Toronto. Magic. Buses run every 15 minutes, and the drivers are more than happy to wait a few minutes while you rush around looking for someone to change a $10 or $20 note to get the exact change!

Whilst seemingly a dry topic to review: I do feel it important to highlight the necessity of an integrated and well run Transport System for the effective movement of passengers around a large Urban Area, both for Commuters and Tourists, both of which bring enhanced economic benefit to a City.
Some other cities would do well to take note!

Summary: The best way to explore Toronto (or get to work!).