Public transportation Ontario

[mira_johnson]

Hi there folks,

I come from a part of Europe with very good public transportation. Owning a car is not common at all, besides, I myself can't drive.
Now I am in the process of planning a move to the GTA, not sure where. I am worried though. How can I get around in the GTA and even outside Toronto in the beautiful Ontario?
I heard about Greyhound, Gotransit.. but generally, I heard public transportation in smaller cities/towns are not common. So while I might be able to get from Toronto to whatever city/town, once there, I might not be able to actually move around further than walking can get me. I also heard public transportation in the suburbs farthest point in the GTA in Toronto is close to non-existing.

Any advice on the subject matter would be greatly appreciated

 

[scylla]

Hi there folks,

I come from a part of Europe with very good public transportation. Owning a car is not common at all, besides, I myself can't drive.
Now I am in the process of planning a move to the GTA, not sure where. I am worried though. How can I get around in the GTA and even outside Toronto in the beautiful Ontario?
I heard about Greyhound, Gotransit.. but generally, I heard public transportation in smaller cities/towns are not common. So while I might be able to get from Toronto to whatever city/town, once there, I might not be able to actually move around further than walking can get me. I also heard public transportation in the suburbs farthest point in the GTA in Toronto is close to non-existing.

Any advice on the subject matter would be greatly appreciated

Unfortunately North America cannot be compared to Europe when it comes to public transportation. Correct - public transit in smaller cities / towns is not common.

If you do not drive, then your best option is to find a place to live within a short walking distance of one of Toronto's subway stations. If you live and work in downtown Toronto - you can certainly do without a car.

As for visiting other places, guess you'll have to pick options you can get to by greyhound bus or train.

 

[canuck78]

You can also learn how to drive

 

[SRafiq]

You can get by in larger cities, but you will not find it easy to see smaller towns/places. Also it won't be comfortable standing outside in -20C weather waiting for a bus (I have done this in Ottawa and in Winnipeg). Mind you, waiting outside in a downpour in Vancouver also was not fun.

I would recommend learning to drive and hiring a car when you need to.

 

[steaky]

You can also join a tour group to visit tourist attractions within Ontario outside GTA.

 

[mira_johnson]

Unfortunately North America cannot be compared to Europe when it comes to public transportation. Correct - public transit in smaller cities / towns is not common.

If you do not drive, then your best option is to find a place to live within a short walking distance of one of Toronto's subway stations. If you live and work in downtown Toronto - you can certainly do without a car.

As for visiting other places, guess you'll have to pick options you can get to by greyhound bus or train.

Thanks for your response. It was my observation when traveling in the North of Ontario, I didn't see a single local bus except for Greyhound. As for downtown Toronto, how far out would be possible to live without a car? Downtown Toronto is pricey, might not be able to afford it.
I heard about another bus company called Flixbus, but not sure what their operating model is about, probably similar to Greyhound i.e. city-to-city transport

 

[mira_johnson]

You can also learn how to drive

I have a driving license and have driven a great deal when I've had no other option, and its a freaking miracle I am still alive... some people are just not geared towards driving, i.e. too nervous and/or distracted too easily or even an actual disability. I for once can only handle two lanes at a time... expecting everyone to drive is a kind of discrimination

 

[mira_johnson]

You can get by in larger cities, but you will not find it easy to see smaller towns/places. Also it won't be comfortable standing outside in -20C weather waiting for a bus (I have done this in Ottawa and in Winnipeg). Mind you, waiting outside in a downpour in Vancouver also was not fun.

I would recommend learning to drive and hiring a car when you need to.

I am from Northern Europe and can handle the cold I'd choose standing out in the cold contra being overtaken by a truck on a highway any time of the day
PS I "know" how to drive, but I still can't handle the stress/anxiety, level of concentration required. I can't even count the number of times I have "almost" gotten into major car accidents

 

[mira_johnson]

You can also join a tour group to visit tourist attractions within Ontario outside GTA.

Yep I heard about them too. Yellow school buses style, right?
Also the public transport (buses) that exist, doesn't look too safe... no seatbelt?

 

[scylla]

Thanks for your response. It was my observation when traveling in the North of Ontario, I didn't see a single local bus except for Greyhound. As for downtown Toronto, how far out would be possible to live without a car? Downtown Toronto is pricey, might not be able to afford it.
I heard about another bus company called Flixbus, but not sure what their operating model is about, probably similar to Greyhound i.e. city-to-city transport

Yes - that's right. You're really not going to find local buses in Northern Ontario.

In terms of Toronto, you'll need to spend time looking at Toronto's transit map and researching. As mentioned previously, without a car, you ideally want to be within walking distance of a subway station. Subway stations aren't just downtown - they run west, east and north of the downtown core. Or failing that, you want to be right on a major / frequent bus route.

I've never heard of Flixbux and can't comment on that.

 

[scylla]

Also the public transport (buses) that exist, doesn't look too safe... no seatbelt?

None of local public transit have seatbelts. They are perfectly safe.

Local public transit buses in Europe generally don't have seatbelts either. The no seatbelts thing is pretty standard globally.

 

[steaky]

Yep I heard about them too. Yellow school buses style, right?
Also the public transport (buses) that exist, doesn't look too safe... no seatbelt?

Not necessary. Greyhound buses style too.

 

[steaky]

None of local public transit have seatbelts. They are perfectly safe.

Local public transit buses in Europe generally don't have seatbelts either. The no seatbelts thing is pretty standard globally.

Local public buses in Hong Kong have seat belts.

 

[steaky]

Yes - that's right. You're really not going to find local buses in Northern Ontario.

In terms of Toronto, you'll need to spend time looking at Toronto's transit map and researching. As mentioned previously, without a car, you ideally want to be within walking distance of a subway station. Subway stations aren't just downtown - they run west, east and north of the downtown core. Or failing that, you want to be right on a major / frequent bus route.

I've never heard of Flixbux and can't comment on that.

No, you are wrong.

For example, Thunder Bay in northwestern Ontario have local buses.

 

[keesio]

As for downtown Toronto, how far out would be possible to live without a car? Downtown Toronto is pricey, might not be able to afford it.

North America is more car oriented in general. As others mentioned, outside of large urban centres, not having a car is pretty inconvenient. I don't own a car but I live right downtown in Toronto so I don't have an issue. I use a combination of public transit, bike share, and car share for all my transport needs. The ideal situation is to be within walking distance of a TTC metro station. Or at least near a TTC bus stop that can get to a TTC metro station. As you start moving away from the downtown core, prices get more reasonable.