12-21-2015, 01:43 AM
(12-20-2015, 09:50 PM)MidTowner Wrote: Hey, off topic, but out of curiosity what makes you expect to use Ion if you're not using GRT now? I've had this conversation with people, and since Ion is not going to be massively different service, we've mostly been at a loss as to how Ion will attract new ridership in the short term. It seems to me that it won't be providing better coverage or frequency than the 200 and 7 services were, but I'm probably missing something there.
Me, I'm pretty sure I'll rarely take Ion. I prefer riding my bicycle these days. I used to take transit in Montreal and still do (but I did get in 46km on bicycle in Montreal today; I don't usually go that far in K-W but I have had days like that).
I agree with BuildingScout. Trains attract some riders who aren't just trying to get from A to B but who are looking for a certain level of comfort that they don't perceive to exist with buses. Or they've had actively frustrating bus experiences like riding from Waterloo to somewhere in Kitchener and having the bus wait at Charles St for 20 minutes for no apparent reason.
Trains often do provide a smoother ride than buses, although that's not universally true; the Montreal metro was at times as bumpy as I remember it being in my youth; and Zurich buses are sometimes quite smooth (but Zurich streets are also always better paved than Montreal streets).
It's also easier to figure out where the Ion goes than the GRT network. Sure, lots of people have phones that will tell them which bus to get on. But even so, I was in Toronto the other day and it wasn't that easy to navigate the TTC bus system (and I didn't collect a transfer so I had to double pay, sigh.)