In Search of Kingdom Living

The Transit System – Toronto

In Toronto, I’m used to busing everywhere. Since I was a young teen, I remember busing from my house in Markham down to TCBC, my home church. I would use the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) bus that takes me to a subway station, then go all the way downtown. The average trip from door to door would take me 1:15 hrs-ish. When I was working downtown, I took the go train from Pacific Mall down to union station, and walk the underground PATH to work. That took me an average of 40 min.

I remember one time busing down to Warden station, taking the subway to Kipling station, taking the Sauga Transit to Square One Mall, and then transfering up Hurontario to get to a friend’s house in Brampton. Took us a good 2:30 hrs.

So I think I’m well versed with traveling via transit.

The Transit System – Vancouver (compared to Toronto)

Now that I’m in Van and have a UPass, I am basically become a transit junkie. I mentioned in an earlier post that I’m hoping to bus around the city, taking my time to explore all the lil’ places that makes this city so unique.

In the meantime, here are a few quirky things that I’ve discovered.

• my first observation was that Vancouver still has many street cars running on electricity. At first I thought it was an outdated system, but also very green of them (I guess?)
• I can walk onto any ‘b-line’ bus (ie. the express buses on major roads) from the back exits without flashing my upass. I guess its similar to the go train in Toronto where they have ppl check you once in a blue moon. 
• I took the sky train (elevated subway system) and there were no turnstyles or any security system that would prevent you from taking the sky train for free. There is only a warning on the ground or a sign that says ‘now entering paid zone’… etc
• a friend told me this whole system is based on the honour system. Guess that’s one of the major ways Vancouver is keeping the small town vibe
• another friend told me the transit system loses a ton of money, and a lot of homeless are able to freely move around the city because of the openess of it all.

So which is better? No idea. Hopefully I’ll have a more informed opinion as I spend my time in Van. In the meantime, I’ll wait and see as Vancouver ramps up its transit system for the olympics and TTC tries to build its Transit City.